Why Give
Why do people choose to contribute their time and resources to Duke Doing Good? The reasons are as varied as the schools, nonprofits and neighborhoods that benefit from these gifts.
Megan Bell
Duke Credit Union
DG giving category: Neighborhoods
What does it mean to you to be part of Doing Good?
I grew up in a small town in a remote area in Alaska. I was born and raised there. In Alaska, at least when I lived there, it’s very difficult to get along and get through things without some sort of help, whether that comes from family or from neighbors or the community as a whole.
I was born with a birth defect that required me to go to Anchorage often, and that was about a three-hour trip. It wasn’t something that was always easy for my parents to do when they had to leave work, and so we had neighbors that would take me there and they did it for nothing. They didn’t expect anything in return, and I saw how much that helped my parents, and I felt that that was always something really important to do – to help when needed and not expect anything in return. My return on my giving (to Doing Good in the Neighborhood) is just knowing that it is helping somebody.
Why do you give specifically to Neighborhoods?
We all have basic needs: A roof over our heads, food on our plates, clothing, good health and education. Many of us have these things already and can provide these for our own families and children. We do it without a second thought. However, there are those who are suffering without their basic needs being met and may not have a door of opportunity open to them unless they have some help along the way. We all, at some point in our lives, need assistance.
English
Spanish
Chinese (Simplified)
Swahili
French
Arabic
Vietnamese
Korean
Hmong
Japanese
German
Somali
Urdu