Why Philanthropy? Why we care?

Therese Miller was a childhood friend and she married a soon-to-be-great friend in St. Louis by the name of Rich Greene. Rich and his Dad operated the Richard Greene Company and they were active members of St. Clement Parish. We were young adults when we moved to St. Louis in our early 30s and Michelle and I were dating at the time. Michelle was an underwriter with BMA and understandably she was assessing the odds of me surviving a business venture by launching St. Louis Homes & Gardens at the ripe age of 32. Becoming a family and raising children understandably was our primary duty in life at this age and being homesick brought us back to Kansas City. 

One day in 1993 I learned of a horrible tragedy; Therese and Rich lost their oldest son, Richie. My heart sank.

Few are trained how to act or react during a crisis, tragedy or with grieving—especially as a young person. I hadn’t seen Therese and Rich in more than a year since they moved to St. Louis. I didn’t know what to do other than to bring some meals by and I was invited in and joined several soon-to-be great friends and their family. Rich just smiled the best he could at that time and welcomed me.

I share this tragic story and experience as it becomes the foundation of the tradition of the Philanthropy Edition you’re holding now. Therese and her family suffered the terrible loss of their child and not much could be done beyond providing love and support. Some will remember Therese’s terrific parents, Carol and Bob Miller. Many know The Robert E. Miller Group. Most may know Sean and Matt Miller and Matt’s daughter Amber, who carry on the company legacy and faith-based mission today. Sean is one of the oldest friend I can remember—our families were close. 

So there I was in St. Louis, and Therese was a neighbor and lived close. We would meet periodically and talk about Richie and how she was doing. Adults aren’t suppose to cry, but occasionally we did. I don’t know where it started but I have always advocated for people to write and record their thoughts and feelings. I have found writing to be therapeutic since I was a kid. I invited Therese to write about her tragic loss, even if she was the only one who ever read it. A few weeks passed and in walks Therese. Her eyes swollen from crying “I did it. Joe, I did it,” she said. She handed me a typed article and asked me to read it. Emotion overcame me and we shared a pretty special moment. “I want to publish this in our December edition,” I said. She smiled.

Therapy comes in many forms and for Therese it came in the form by articulating her feelings and emotions in a writing that connected with others. We called it “The Community Cares” and this was the first dedication of a publication to the subject of philanthropy during my then relatively short career. Crafting this column is a bit personal but therapeutic. It tees up a mission that was set in stone the day we purchased Ingram’s in February of 1997. 

Many years have passed and many heroes, corporate champions and several Philanthropists of the Year have now been honored over the course of 27 consecutive years since Ingram’s Philanthropy edition that was dedicated to the subject. We’ve built the very foundation of Ingram’s-—at least through our era of ownership—on the foundation of business, governance and serving community need. I genuinely believe this is the most philanthropic city in America and we’re proud to serve in our small way to both archive history and more importantly share stories of why philanthropy matters and why we should care. 

I suspect by know you might sense this is the favorite issue of the year for Michelle and me, and we genuinely believe it’s the most important. It is a great honor to recognize the giants who carry the legacy of our city fathers and thank Kansas Citians who, in their own ways, contribute to serving the needs of our citizens. Civil unrest and the lack of leadership in the core county and the city itself poses a threat of our future and it is with both love and encouragement that we ask young leaders to step forward and fill the shoes of those who walked before us and preserve the legacy of this city we love. 

Educating our children and training the future work force is a priority for every city, region and state. The facts are particularly difficult to digest in regards to the Kansas City, Missouri, School District. It costs much more to educate students in this district and the lack of training and unacceptable competencies yield much more concerning test scores than private schools. This is recognized even at the state level. The Bright Futures and MOScholars program, including the Missouri’s K-12 Scholarship Fund, provides hope for students to be able to attend private schools on scholarships funded by tax credits. All taxpayers have to do is simply request that 50 percent of the taxes they pay be allocated towards private school scholarships. The ad on the right provides basic information and the Web site offers much more information. I’m pleased to see government align with community need and provide a funding mechanism that allows children in a challenged public school system to have access to a much better education and a fighting chance for the future. 

It is with this column that we wish you and your families and extended families a joyous Christmas and holiday season and a prosperous and happy New Year.