Jean Aloe Turns Her Good Fortune Into Good Deeds...
Once upon a time, Jean Meyer Aloe was paid a surprise visit by the IRS Refund Fairy. "Lest you think the tax refund was just change in my pocket, it wasn't. I am 62 and work fulltime," says Jean. Lucky for Heifer Foundation, Jean had recently learned about its country endowment program, where a donor can establish an endowment for the country or initiative of their choice. Each year, 5 ½ percent of the endowment is made available to Heifer International programs in that country. Jean used her tax refund to create an endowment for Kosovo. Jean adds, "That money could have meant a great vacation or other things I might have wanted but didn't need. I am just so grateful that the door was there for me to walk through (i.e. Heifer endowment). It is so much more important to do something really worthwhile for others, something permanent. I thank Heifer for giving me this gift."
When asked, "Why Kosovo?" Ms. Aloe replies, "My heart had gone out to the people of that region as I followed their plight over several years. I am now reading books on the history of Kosovo and looking for novelists and poets from that area. (Ms. Aloe writes poetry in her spare time.) She also checks the United Nations website on Kosovo (UNMIK) regularly, so she can keep abreast of what is happening there. She plans to add to the endowment each year at Christmas and hopes that her children will contribute when they are able, as well.
Yes, looks like Jean has sprinkled a little fairy dust of her own.
