"For where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34
These days we tend to clutch our purse strings a little tighter; walk a little faster past donation canisters and write a few less checks being unsure who to trust to use our charitable dollars wisely.
Not everyone : )
Separate from this foundation there is a small nursing care fund that was established in Ted Harpley's name in 1992 at the Lahey Clinic's oncology department to assist families in urgent times of need with additional private nursing care at the hospital or at home. The Theodore R. Harpley Endowment is administered solely by the social work team with no advertising, fan fare or involvement from our family. Sometimes our Mom will be forwarded a letter of thanks that the staff received and sometimes we'll see an obituary with a request for donations to the fund. Imagine our surprise when we received a letter from the daughter of a patient who Googled "Ted Harpley" and found this foundation and sent a check because not only did she appreciate the nursing care but especially because she felt that our fathers would have related to each other as engineers from the same generation. We were deeply touched. This November we divided the donation from the family of Philip Fischer evenly (as engineers would do) between the seven grant recipients.
Please send donations marked for the Harpley Nursing Care Fund to: Lahey Clinic, Office of Philanthropy, 41 Mall Rd., Burlington, MA 01805
Our Mission:
To celebrate the life of Theodore (Ted) Harpley by fostering grassroots organizations in the arts and sciences, as well as human, animal and environmental welfare in the communities where his surviving family reside.
Each of the Trustees seeks worthy non-profit causes that they are individually responsible for personally evaluating.
Completed grant applications are then reviewed twice a year, and in the spirit of Ted's intelligence, reasoning and compassion we collectively award grants with the care and confidence that each dollar will make a difference.
What makes us a little different from other family foundations?
We have no paid staff - and do not receive compensation for our time.
Having been gifted this opportunity, our motivation is rooted in gratitude.
We take this honor seriously while we continue to learn the ropes of philanthropy by working together as an adult family juggling each of our own work and personal obligations. It isn't easy and is often ironic. We have made a few mistakes and shed tears of both kinds, but remain focused on our mission remembering the love, kindness and forgiveness our Dad exemplified when dealing with trials and tribulations both at home and work.
"It's just like a magic penny,
Hold it tight and you won't have any.
Lend it spend it and you'll have so many,
They'll roll all over the floor, for
Love is something if you give it away,
You end up having more."
- from folk song "Magic Penny" by Malvina Reynolds,
often sung and strummed by Betsy Harpley for church, family and friends.
This version courtesy of Danya River.
Double click on photos to enlarge for better viewing.
