Next Time You Have Chocolate...

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Welcome to the first-ever Family Promise Weekly Update. (We have to workshop it. If you have an idea, let me know.)

I want to tell you about Larry and Steve and how Larry changed Steve's life — despite the two never meeting.

Larry has been a part of this Family Promise Community for 16+ years. He has been a longtime supporter, volunteer, and member of our support congregations, Faith Presbyterian and First United Methodist Church. He’s also a big chocolate guy.

When Larry’s family reached out a couple of months ago to let us know that Larry had passed away, we were saddened to have lost such a good man, so committed to quietly making this place better than he found it. We were also surprised to learn that Larry requested that his car be donated to a family in need at Family Promise.

We knew exactly who needed it.

For several months, Steve had been having more and more car troubles. About a week before we got that call from Larry’s family, Steve’s car stopped working altogether. When a family graduates from our program, they’re still working on building up their emergency fund, and having to purchase a car can be a massive challenge. It usually means taking on extra jobs and extra stress.

With Larry’s generous gift, Steve can focus on building his emergency fund and stick to his savings plan to purchase a home in the future. But Larry gave Steve so much more than a vehicle, security, or stress relief — he gave Steve time to be a father. If you spend any time with Steve, you’ll know that spending time with his son is his favorite thing.

Larry’s generous legacy continues through Steve’s family, Family Promise, and the work we do.

We hope that the next time you have some chocolate, you take a moment to remember Larry and his lasting impact.