Ray Nell Jones: How much would you give to save a life?
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How much would you give to save a life?
If only we could ask that question three years ago, June 13, 2019 — the day before Stanlee Allyn Holbrook took her own life. She was one of Pittsburgh’s many young and single mothers, all of 26 years old with three children in the backseat of her SUV, when she suddenly stopped and left her vehicle atop the Homestead Grays Bridge. She stepped to the edge — and the next step was a 50-foot fall to her death in the Monongahela River.
Her struggles have since been documented: a premature newborn and two more children earning all her devotion, but with bills piling up and her energy wearing down.
If we had only given more, would Stanlee Allyn Holbrook be alive today?
By the end of 2019, I decided my vision of Pittsburgh included giving everything to save women like Stanlee Allyn Holbrook. Since founding The Allignment Chapter that year, my team has given Pittsburgh’s single mothers groceries, supplies and financial support. Our mission extends across the United States, collecting donations to fund new efforts in New York City, Miami and Mississippi. You can help by donating at fundly.com/the-allignment-chapter.
But we also need the help of our elected officials to support charitable causes like ours, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which will surely lead to more desperate single mothers like Stanlee. Congress is currently considering the ACE Act — that’s “accelerating charitable efforts” — which will better align our tax code to encourage charitable giving while closing unproductive tax loopholes.
You may know that generous wealthy donors often give money to private foundations, which distribute those funds. Some also give to “donor advised funds” or DAFs, which are similar. In return, donors receive tax write-offs. But a U.S. legal loophole means the DAFs are not actually required to disburse those donations in any timely fashion, while private foundations must only give or spend 5% each year. Do the math, and that’s $1.2 trillion sitting in charitable foundations and funds, completely untapped.
Think of what we could give in Pittsburgh with just a fraction of that money. That’s what the ACE Act would do: incentivize and ensure that more DAF and foundation money is donated each year. Even if payouts only rose by 2% annually, it would add $24 billion in charitable giving — more than $15,000 per U.S. charity if it were divided equally. I can assure you, it takes a lot less than $15,000 to help The Allignment Chapter give new life to hundreds of single mothers.
All it might take is you and your family and friends, writing your congressperson, as I have done with Rep. Mike Kelly, asking him or her to support the ACE Act this year.
Take a moment to think of today’s Stanlee Allyn Holbrook, perhaps now standing at her own edge, and needing just a bit more help to pull her back.
How much would you give to save a life?
Ray Nell Jones is founder of The Allignment Chapter in Pittsburgh.