Investing His Winnings in Children

Fred Orlando enjoys a successful and rewarding career as an ophthalmologist and he believes in "paying it forward." In addition to being an annual supporter to Save the Children for 15 years, Fred and his wife, Jaclyn, have also left Save the Children in their will. Having built a strong trust in the organization, they keep their contributions unrestricted, allowing Save the Children to determine how best to allocate their funding.

Fred considers himself fortunate to have been given opportunities in life that are denied others. It's his "lottery" philosophy. In his own words:

"In the course of the many responsibilities and distractions of modern life, it's easy to lose perspective of where we fit in the global picture. Our culture glamorizes wealth and celebrity. It's easy to forget our relative position on the scale of good fortune. Most of us have likely imagined winning the lottery and many of us might have thought that if we were ever to win, we'd use some of the proceeds to give to charity. It's also quite likely that most of us have used the word "starving" to express our anticipation of an upcoming meal.

In reality, if you're reading this, you have won a lottery and have never really known the true experience of starving. If your daily living costs are more than $2.50 a day, you are doing better than 50 percent of people in the world. If you live on more than $10 a day, you are better off than 80 percent. Yes, our wealth is often a result of hard work. But the opportunity to work and earn is largely due to winning the lottery of being born into the privileged minority.

When I decided to share my "winnings," i.e. what came to me by the good fortune of living where shelter, food, warmth and healthcare come easy, I looked for a charity to help me assist the less fortunate majority. After considerable research, I decided to direct my charitable contributions to Save the Children. They target the neediest and rank high among like-charities for the percentage of funds raised that actually support programs. And, I liked the fact that they work to empower people to help themselves.

What we have been given in life is largely from circumstance. What we give, by contrast, is entirely within our ability to decide. In the early 2000s, I decided to start giving to Save the Children and I highly recommend them to my fellow "lottery winners."

You can invest in children with your life's "winnings" just like Fred Orlando did. To learn how, contact the Planned Giving team at [email protected].

By including a gift to Save the Children in your will or other estate plan, you qualify for membership in the Eglantyne Jebb Society. Learn more about this inspirational group of supporters.