Modeling philanthropy with my son is very important to me. After all, I do call myself the Nonprofit Nerd!
Over winter break, we visited one of our favorite destinations...Park City, UT! This is a beautiful mountain town that my nine-year-old son, Tanner, and I have grown very fond of over the last few years. We typically visit in the summer but this trip was specifically to enjoy the winter sports this beautiful mountain town offers.
We rented skis from the Breeze Ski Rentals office that was conveniently connected to our resort. And what I thought would be a very normal rental process was nothing but normal. It was epic!
To help expedite the process, I handed my credit card to the sales guy, Seth, so he could run our fees. He laughed and said, “Hold the card...I’m not ready to take your money.” Little did he know, but we had dinner reservations that I was already feeling rushed to make on time.
Seth and his co-worker Billy were very friendly and knowledgeable, and took their time explaining the rentals to us. When it came time to pay for our rentals, Seth said, “Okay - now I’ll take your credit card but I’m also going to ask you for more money.” I laughed and said, “What - did the poles and helmet cost us extra?”
Seth went on to tell us about the Epic Promise Foundation and how the money raised helps employees with any unforeseen hardships and expenses. He told me about one employee that used the resources after she had emergency gallbladder surgery.
Seth also proudly told us about the largest gift that had been made so far. The donation was generous, but Tanner stood on his tiptoes and whispered in my ear, “Could we double that gift?” I was pleased that he asked and felt fortunate that we could do this.
I nodded my head in agreement with my son’s request and encouraged him to tell the employees that we would make a donation and to tell them how much.
Seth was floored. His eyes sparkled, his jaw dropped, and he came around the counter and gave both my son and me a big hug. Billy did the same and they continued to go above and beyond every time they saw us at the resort.
This definitely goes down as one of our best Christmases ever! My heart is warm with my son’s desire to give to others and our current ability to be of service to those in need.
I share this story to inspire others to do what you can, when you can. Especially in front of your children. Modeling this behavior will hopefully make our world a much kinder place.
And yes - we had a wonderful time skiing at Deer Valley Resort!
Seth Meehan and Billy Norred, with the author and her son.
Photo courtesy of Jarrett Ransom.