Celebrating Women Philanthropy

Meet the neighborhood champion, children advocate, and "give my last dollar to help somebody" philanthropist, my mommy Lucille Kelly

Happy Mother's Day to all the women out there being great as moms, bonus moms, mom-in-loves, and all things in between.

I had the opportunity to join a lunch with a group of women fundraisers in Middletown, Ohio a few weeks ago. Brought together by the legendary fundraiser Frances Sack to network and provide support to one another, our conversation focused primarily on how we all came into the fundraising profession. No one person’s journey was the same as the other. We all had different starting points, different charitable causes we championed, and different methods for how we approach the work on behalf of the organizations we serve.

However, we did all have one thing in common. Our passion for charitable work is rooted in volunteerism and charity which we all agreed was introduced to us by our mothers.

Our mothers were the first example of charity even though they often did not have much money or time themselves as they were rearing children and, in some cases, working a full-time job. However, lack of financial resources or time never kept them from giving back. They made it clear to us through their actions that giving back was not an option, it was what we as women do. Mothers are the backbone of our community. These women, our mothers, truly ran this world.

My mother Lucille was among those who migrated to the North because the only career she saw for herself as a black woman in Tennessee was being a maid. She was determined this would not be her life nor would it be the life of her children. She came to Dayton, got a job working in high-end restaurants, and then at NCR.

In the community, following in her mother's footsteps, she joined a church and became deeply involved. She was the president of the missionary department where she worked with other women in the church to look out for those who were sick and shut in.

In our neighborhood, she fed all the children. My house was the Kool-Aid house. Although my mom fussed at me and my friends about how we dressed, the music we listened to, and what we did for fun, she showed overwhelming amounts of love. You could taste it in her food and in her care and concern. She was everybody's mom.

In our home, our rooms were available to any family member needing a place to live short-term. It was not uncommon for others coming from the South to stay at our home until they could get a place of their own. This is how she was able to get stable in Dayton and she felt compelled to do the same for others.

Finally, when there were problems in the community, my mom would go to the neighborhood meetings (once known as the priority board in Dayton) to get people told (off)! She was not going to let "half-working people slick by". Her words, not mines. If you said you were for the neighborhood and in any public office, my mom showed up to help you keep your word.

Now here I am doing much of the same. I do it as a part of my profession and a part of my giving passion as a volunteer.

Until that meeting with Fran, I had never really made the connection between my work and my upbringing. It was an "aha" moment that explained so much. It explains why I advocate so hard for young people. It is why I serve on boards in the community and support political figures I believe will do the job they were voted in to do. It is why I am driven by more than a paycheck as a fundraiser. It is why I see philanthropy as a keyway to solve problems in society.

My mother unknowingly gave me the blueprint for how to impact and change my world. Thank you, Mommy, for being my philanthropic hero!

And to all of my readers, whether your mom is still here on earth or has transitioned to the next life, I ask you on this day to honor her by giving your time, talent, and treasure back for the greater good. Women, we run this world. We need to do our part to make sure it looks like to our daughters. They got next!