As a young girl, I remember flipping through the pages of Essence Magazine stopping on those profiles of ordinary women doing extraordinary things. The year was 1980 something. The thing that caught my attention was the title “philanthropist” attached to one of the women. The word, the woman and the article piqued my interest and I whispered to the universe that I, too, someday would like to be a philanthropist.

For many years, philanthropy was associated with wealthy people or wives of rich husbands. Not falling in either one of those categories, I thought my whispers to the cosmos were lost in space. Life gave way to other responsibilities and I never thought I had sufficient income to give until the death of my sister.

On May 18, 2000, my youngest sister DeAnn White and two of her colleagues from work were celebrating her birthday at the nightclub Heat when the pier under them collapsed, plunging them into the Delaware River. DeAnn and the other two women – Monica Rodriguez and Jean Ferraro, all in their 20s – died that night in what is now known in Philadelphia as the “Pier 34 tragedy.”

That very same week, my family became philanthropists by creating a scholarship fund in DeAnn’s memory to assist students with higher-education goals. The DeAnn White Scholarship Fund is administered through The Philadelphia Foundation, and supports students at St. Martin de Porres School who love to read, and Temple University and Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church students majoring in communications. We also set up a website in DeAnn’s honor.

DeAnn was a very special G-town girl (G for Germantown, a section in Philadelphia where we were raised) who grew up on Greene Street with four sisters and a dog. We loved and adored her. She was spoiled by all of us and she had such a caring heart. Though she was the youngest, she was always organizing us to do charity work, participate in events, and dress up and take pictures like we were movie stars.  

DeAnn made us all stop calling her our “baby” sister or little sister, as she was always seeking out her independence. One day her hair was long and full, then the next minute she would surprise us all with a short sassy cut that became her. She knew her likes and dislikes, and felt comfortable enough to make decisions for herself. We grew up Catholic and DeAnn was the first one to turn Baptist when she visited Enon. Later, half of us followed her there. She glowed in our company, and her little hint of shyness disappeared in our presence. 
She loved books, tea and my aunt’s pound cake. There is nothing I would not have done for DeAnn. Her favorite color was red. Her favorite day was Sunday because we all gathered at my parents’ home to eat. Her favorite meal was short ribs, collards and “real” mashed potatoes.

We give out scholarships in her memory because it allows us to create little DeAnns in the world. And we’re not alone in our giving.

Even in these tough economic times, African-American-giving to humanitarian, social and environmental concerns financially and emotionally is a mainstay. A few years ago, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority donated $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Among the Oprah Winfreys, Warren Buffetts and Gill Gates of the world writing checks are ordinary people like the postal worker in Richmond, Va., who gave away more than $150,000 over 33 years from his small salary. More recently, Clear Channel, in partnership with AARP, championed the philanthropic works of its listeners in a “Create the Good” campaign. A few weeks ago, Enon gave out more than $80,000.00 in scholarships. See, sometimes giving trumps guns and murder in many African-American communities. 

African Americans have always been givers, the most significant of which have been tithing, supporting our own organizations (like the NAACP during tough times in our history) and causes, and volunteering. But we never saw this as philantrophic, but as something we had to do.

Jabari Asim, writing in the Washington Post in 2006, noted that the Chronicle of Philantropy found that African Americans “donate 25 percent more of their discretionary income than whites. On average, Black Enterprise magazine notes, black households give $1,614 to their favorite causes. That figure doesn’t take into account tithing – contributing 10 percent of household income — to churches, a widespread practice among black families.”

Not so long ago, the Philadelphia Foundation convened a small group of African-American women to share their stories of funds created in memory of loved ones and others – such as the favorite teacher who received a gift from a fund set up by the family of one of her students tragically killed in an auto accident. The foundation manages several funds that benefit African Americans.

“By the end of our time together, the tissue box had made it around the table at least twice,” said Heather Gee, vice president for development services and donor relations at the foundation. ”You could visibly see how their stories brought back loving memories and a sense of pride in carrying on a legacy for future generations.” 

Through the scholarship program, we have assisted 10 students at Temple, eight at Enon, 20 in “Love of Reading,” and have donated annually to libraries at two schools.

We raise money through fund-raising campaigns and other sources. We give scholarships to students majoring in public relations, journalism and mass communications – DeAnn’s areas of interest.

In 2000, our first year, we awarded two $1,000 scholarships. Our Love of Reading Award – in the form of gift certificates to Borders bookstore – is given to two students at St. Martin de Porres, DeAnn’s elementary school. In 2001, we gave out one $1,000 scholarship and two gift certificates, and we made a $500 contribution to the library at the school. 

In the following years, we awarded two scholarships annually – $1,000 to a Temple student and $500 to Enon, along with the two “Love of Reading” gift certificates and the library-fund donation.

This year was a big year for my family because we celebrated a decade of awarding scholarships during an event in May called “A Legacy of Love!” The day was filled with face-painting, arts and craft, music, line-dancing and even karaoke. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told those attending that our family and DeAnn’s fiancé had shown remarkable grace, and he talked about what we had done: “People who do good things have been doing good things for a long time,” he said.

Philanthropy is about more than giving money. Recognizing that tragedy is not unique to any one family, we invited our guests to release a colorful array of biodegradable balloons in memory of loved ones as the DJ played “Wind Beneath My Wings.” Would that be called “emotional philanthropy?” 

Gee believes that our stories of generosity are changing the definition of what it means to be a philanthropist. From those wealthy African-Americans profiled on the pages of Forbes and Black Enterprise magazines to sororities and fraternities, giving back is thriving. But for the many of us ordinary people, we’re making a difference, too, dollar by dollar, year by year and it is adding up to a bounty of philanthropic love.

If you’d like to start a fund, here are some important steps I’d like to offer:

     -  Seek the advice of someone like Gee, a philanthropy specialist, and research various charitable funds.

     -  Let the initial money sit in an interest-bearing account until you’re ready to establish the fund.

    -  Think of ways to bring awareness to the fund and to increase the financial bottom line to ensure that you have adequate money for scholarships forever.

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Gail Ramsey is a director of communications for a Philadelphia law firm.