Acadiana Gives

I’m proud to say that the Brazdas are a “philanthropic” family: I’m the executive director of The Stuller Family Foundation; my wife volunteers plenty of her time to our church and my daughter’s school; and our daughter often encourages the parents of members of her singing group “Forever Angels” to donate to various charitable causes. Even my 17-month-old son goes above and beyond to support such “nonprofits” as Pepperidge Farm, Nabisco, Jello-O, Enfamil and Gerber.

However, the family philanthropist with the purest motives for his community involvement hasn’t been listed.

He’s “Lucky”, our 5-1/2 year old black labrador.

Think about it…. and in all probability, Lucky’s “no bones about it” attitude (no pun intended) can be applied to your own pup as well. Among other things, my 80-pound, 4-legged dependent is:

*A PHYSICAL FITNESS ADVOCATE.
—(not just for himself, but for me as well… throwing a tennis ball 100 times a day?…. shoveling dirt to fill in holes?… chasing a canine who’s scooted out when the back gate is left open?…. that’s Lucky–thinking about me and my need to get in a little physical activity. Lucky knows, even if I don’t, the importance of my longevity).

*A STRONG BELIEVER IN HUGS.
—(warmth, empathy, physical contact, caring about the other guy…. all good things. Aren’t those qualities we’d like to see in any good donor?).

*A GOOD LISTENER.
—(Lucky seldom offers any advice… never throws out a “you know, what you SHOULD’VE DONE is…” He knows that what a nonprofit often wants is for someone to just sit, wag his or her tail, and LISTEN… And when he does offer advice, it’s usually done through adorable body language).

*A BELIEVER THAT HUMANS WILL EVENTUALLY DO THE RIGHT THING.
—(He’s the eternal optimist, one with faith in the purity of the human spirit. Someone will feed the hungry/((Him))… Someone will provide health care for the sick//(Him)…Someone will greet the lonely with a “Hey, buddy!! How’s my pal?”….)

*A VITAL COG IN FUELING OUR CITY’S, OUR STATE’S, OUR NATION’S AND OUR PLANET’S ECONOMY.
—(Lucky goes to the vet for a shot. I pay my bill. My vet deposits the check. The bank processes the deposit. My vet can put food on his table, so can the bank employees. The grocery store can stay in business. And so on. This simple exchange of dollar signs sets in motion a fall of dominoes whose impact is far-reaching).

*A VOICE FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATIONS AND MERGERS AMONG OUR CITIZENRY.
—Throwing the squeak toy football requires a thrower and a retriever. But as much fun as THAT is, ever notice how much more excited your dog gets when 2 or 3 people are throwing the ball? Or better yet, when 3 or 4 little kids, preferably with food your dog can borrow, are in the backyard? Teamwork & Partnerships at their best).

*A RESPONSIBLE, HANDS-ON, SELF-MOTIVATOR.
—(Before bringing in any outside funder, Lucky examines the problem himself. He tries to solve the problem himself. He’s like nothing better than to catch to catch that pesky squirrel in the pecan tree WITHOUT having to run to me and say, ‘I don’t know what to do, Scott. He’s up there, I’m down here… Don’t worry; I’ll come up with a solution…”).

So let’s see here: Health conscious. Sympathetic & empathetic. A good listener. An optimist. A creator of positive economic impact. A believer in the “it takes a village” concept of initiating positive change through teamwork. A self-starter.

All good things to look for when you’re in search of a donor. All good things to internalize when you’re planning to enter the world as a philanthropist.

Sure, Lucky’s not perfect…none of us are. But his fundamentals are pretty darn solid.

And he’s pretty realistic in his requests:
“One dog biscuit, that’s all. You don’t HAVE TO empty the whole box. Sure, if you WANT to give me more than I’m asking, I won’t say ‘no”, but…..”

Scott Brazda is the Executive Director of Stuller Family Foundation.