Word-Of-the-Week #940: Munificent

August 11, 2022 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #940: Munificent 

Munificent characterized by or displaying great generosity.

Do you believe that being generous is about giving material things or money? Do you expect that your generosity should be reciprocated? Would you be more munificent if you knew it would make you happier?

Many of you know that I have been on the board of Fostering Opportunities Scholarships for 19 years and raise money for former foster youth to help them achieve their educational goals. In 2018 our founder and President, Katie Elsbree, passed away from pancreatic cancer.

There are so many things I could say about Katie. She had such a big heart – and left a lasting impression on so many people. When I was thinking of one word to describe her generous came up but munificent is a better word since she displayed such great generosity.

Katie was a very smart woman – like a vortex – she drew people to her – not all stayed – but that never discouraged her – she set in motion a board that will continue her legacy. At the time we had 11 board members

The last time I saw her was two weeks before she passed. Her biggest concern was she worried about the kids and making sure they didn’t lose their scholarships. I promised her we would keep FOS going.

All of us agreed to keep her legacy alive for five years in hopes of passing the torch to some of our former graduates who expressed an interest in running the organization. But then life happened – jobs – family – etc. which took up most of their time.

On Saturday August 6th we held our last scholarship awards. While it feels bittersweet, we have found an organization whose mission and values align with ours. Promises2Kids has agreed to administer the Katie Elsbree Memorial Scholarship and support our remaining seven students with the funds currently in our bank account. Five of those students are going for their masters or Ph.D.’s!

What’s truly amazing is that we have had 76 graduates! Seven with Masters Degrees and one with a Law Degree.

Elisabeth who just graduated had this to say at our meeting, “I truly wouldn’t be where I am today without the help, guidance, and support from everyone at Fostering Opportunities.

I recall not having enough money to purchase a bus pass my second semester at City College and wasn’t sure how I’d commute to school and work. Then, I received the email that my first check from FOS was ready — I didn’t have to worry about how I would get to and back from home, school, and work anymore. Same with purchasing my first laptop for school. This was just one of many moments where FOS helped me when i needed it the most and didn’t think I could financially pursue college. FOS provided me with the tools and support that I needed to pursue an education — to pursue my education. 

Everything that FOS has done for me helped me get through college and be the woman I am today. I cannot wait to one day be a mentor and donor myself to help those who, too, have a yearning for learning but feel limited due to their circumstances. I cannot say thank you enough. Thus, YOU and the whole board are an inspiration. 

We’ll keep in touch!”

If you’d like more inspiration, check out this article Being Generous Really Does Make You Happier by Amanda MacMillan. I added a couple of excerpts below.

“It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to know that doing nice things for people feels good. But now, researchers say they’ve discovered that even thinking about doing something generous has real mood-boosting benefits in the brain. 

It’s not yet clear how long these warm and fuzzy feelings last after being generous. But other research suggests that making generosity a regular habit may influence long-term wellbeing and happiness, the study authors say. 

Next time you think that the best way to make yourself feel better is to buy yourself a treat, consider that the opposite is likely true. “It is worth giving it a shot, even if you think it would not work,” Tobler says. “In order to reap health benefits, repeated practice is probably needed so that giving becomes second nature.” 

This week’s focus is on being munificent. Do you make charitable contributions? Do you donate time to a charity or for a cause? How often do you give the gift of your time to friends or family? How does it make you feel when you witness the benefits of your generosity?

I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.

 

Word-Of-the-Week #800: Munificent

December 5, 2019 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #800: Munificent 

Munificent characterized by or displaying great generosity.

Do you believe that being generous is about giving material things or money? Do you expect that your generosity should be reciprocated? Would you be more munificent if you knew it would make you happier?

Many of you know that I am on the board of Fostering Opportunities Scholarships and raise money for former foster youth to help them achieve their educational goals. So this is the word that came to me this week and features Being Generous Really Does Make You Happier by Amanda MacMillan.

“It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to know that doing nice things for people feels good. But now, researchers say they’ve discovered that even thinking about doing something generous has real mood-boosting benefits in the brain. 

In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland told 50 people they’d be receiving about $100 over a few weeks. Half of the people were asked to commit to spending that money on themselves, and half were asked to spend it on someone they knew. 

The researchers wanted to see whether simply pledging to being generous was enough to make people happier. So before doling out any money, they brought everyone into the lab and asked them to think about a friend they’d like to give a gift to and how much they would hypothetically spend. They then performed functional MRI scans to measure activity in three regions of the brain associated with social behavior, generosity, happiness and decision-making. 

Their choices—and their brain activity—seemed to depend on how they had pledged to spend the money earlier. Those who had agreed to spend money on other people tended to make more generous decisions throughout the experiment, compared to those who had agreed to spend on themselves. They also had more interaction between the parts of the brain associated with altruism and happiness, and they reported higher levels of happiness after the experiment was over. 

Another piece of good news was that it didn’t seem to matter how generous people were. Planning to give away just a little bit of money had the same effects on happiness as giving away a lot. “At least in our study, the amount spent did not matter,” said lead author Philippe Tobler, associate professor of neuroeconomics and social neuroscience, in an email. “It is worth keeping in mind that even little things have a beneficial effect—like bringing coffee to one’s office mates in the morning.” 

It’s not yet clear how long these warm and fuzzy feelings last after being generous. But other research suggests that making generosity a regular habit may influence long-term wellbeing and happiness, the study authors say. 

Next time you think that the best way to make yourself feel better is to buy yourself a treat, consider that the opposite is likely true. “It is worth giving it a shot, even if you think it would not work,” Tobler says. “In order to reap health benefits, repeated practice is probably needed so that giving becomes second nature.”

This week’s focus is on being munificent. Do you make charitable contributions? Do you donate time to a charity or for a cause? How often do you give the gift of your time to friends or family? How does it make you feel when you witness the benefits of your generosity?

I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.