Here is a story of a wealthy couple donating money for good causes. I was wondering if anyone here would consider writing to them for a donation to the Foundation.
A couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars has slowly been dropping down the Australian rich list because of the amount of money they have donated to charity.
Kay Van Norton Poche and her husband Greg, who live in Manly on Sydney’s northern beaches, have given away $150million with the figure still climbing.
Once upon a time they were in the Forbes Top 50 rich list in Australia in 2015, though dropped off in 2016.
As Mrs Van Norton Poche explained, the couple found themselves with more money than they could spend in a lifetime after they sold their logistics business Star Track Express for $750million in 2003.
‘After the sale Greg and I looked at each other and we thought, ‘oh my goodness this is 10 times over what we can spend in a lifetime, let’s give it away, let’s give it back to the country’,’ she told the Manly Daily.
Their most recent donation of $5 million to Many Hospital has allowed the site to build the country’s first young adult hospice.
The Federal Government matched the generous donation and construction is slated for next year.
‘There is nowhere like this for adults who need palliative care,’ Mrs Van Norton Poche said at the time.
‘There was a gap and we can do something about that and that’s wonderful.’
The matter is close to the pair’s hearts as Mr Poche has had to visit hospital time and again after suffering several strokes.
‘We all suffer adversity in life but it is how you deal with that adversity,’ Mrs Van Norton Poche said.
‘We don’t look at Greg’s illness as devastating or tragic. If we did we wouldn’t be able to go on.’
Mrs Van Norton Poche comes from humble beginnings as she grew up in Upstate New York as the daughter of a World War II veteran.
With very little in her family, she was taught how to give the most of what she had to other people.
She discovered the rewarding sensation that came from volunteering and the selfless benefits of charity.
Her husband Greg, born in Marrickville, mirrored his wife’s sense of humility and has kept a low profile throughout his life and many charitable deeds.
He donated $40 million to kickstart the Melanoma Institute of Australia, which went relatively unnoticed.
He also donated $10 million to the University of Sydney help establish a Centre for Indigenous Health with outreach clinics across western NSW.
He remained anonymous at the outset, and only blew his cover when he learned talking about the issue would attract more donors to the cause.
Reporter Nicholas Way called him, ‘the mystery man of Australian business.’
His generosity has become folklore of sorts, with an anecdote capturing his passion for helping others.
He had been touring the University of Sydney and been so taken up with their centre for Indigenous Health that he wrote a cheque for $10million on the roof of his car.
His wife Mrs Van Norton Poche said that the pair did not feel gratified for all the money in the world.
That feeling of satisfaction simply came from helping people.
And Mrs Van Norton Poche is quick to brush aside the praise they have received for their philanthropy, saying they’re not doing it for attention.
Rather, than generosity comes from the feeling that they’re doing the right thing.