While I am not in agreement with everything Mr. Thoreau said or wrote, this quote is spot on for the potential Surprise Millionaires out there.
Money
Back to Basics ..
Giving To Others What They Never Had
Melvin and Kathryn Johnson grew up during a time when educational opportunities were hard to come by; especially when you were trying to make a living and put food on the table. That is why their recent gifts to the Yellowstone Boys & Girls Ranch as well as their local school districts made such a lasting impression. It is people (and Surprise Millionaires) like these folks that make me hopeful for the future!
A Surprise Millionaire Thought …
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Just a Dime By Steve Goodier |
| Can one dime make a difference? Here is a woman who turned a dime into millions of dollars.
Her name was Martha Berry. This clever woman founded the Berry School in Rome, Georgia. She scraped together funds from every source possible. One day she approached Henry Ford, of Ford automobile fame, and asked for a contribution. Patronizingly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a dime. Rather than be insulted or discouraged by the “gift,” Miss Berry bought a package of seed peanuts with it. The seeds were planted and tended, and they eventually yielded a large crop, which she later sold. Again she called on Mr. Ford. “Here’s the dime you gave me last year,” she said, handing him a coin. Then she told him of the return she had realized from his token investment. Ford was so impressed that, in the years to come, he gave millions of dollars to the school. Can one dime make a difference? Yes, if we invest it well. How about one hour of your time? Can it make a difference? Or how about the life of one person? Can a life like yours or mine really make a difference? The answer to each of these questions is the same: Yes, if we invest it well. Now…how are your investments doing? By Steve Goodier – http://www.LifeSupportSystem.com |
Sharp As A Tack And One Of A Kind
The citizens of northwest Oklahoma can be proud to count Vera Mae Eversole as one of their own. A former school teacher, animal lover, choir member and caretaker for her mother and brother, Vera displayed the kind of attributes that make the people of Oklahoma one of a kind. This Surprise Millionaire didn’t even let her attorney in on the secret of her net worth. She let her last will and testament do the talking for her!
No Silver Spoons Here!
Another eccentric, wise and wonderful Surprise Millionaire has left her mark on the people and community in which she lived. Kathy Kinnicutt may have descended from an old New England family, but she was no trust fund baby. In fact, she was even known to have received some charitable help in her earlier days. No, Kathy accumulated her wealth the Surprise Millionaire way; through hard work, frugality and wise investing. And like the Surprise Millionaire she was, Kathy shocked both friends and family with her generous charitable gift.
The Surprise Benefactor
This week I am very proud to feature a true Surprise Millionaire from my Alma mater, Missouri State University. This millionaire was neither a student nor professor at the university but rather a hard working secretary. From her homemade clothing to her modest demeanor, no one would have guessed she would one day be a major benefactor to the institution she had given so much of her life to.
