AMA Foundation
PHILANTHROPY IS GOOD
FOR YOUR HEALTH
By Bud Layne, AMA Foundation Chairman | bud_layne@spantechllc.com
With philanthropy, we usually think about giving and its effects on the object of the gift. It’s right to think about the receiver of the gift, but there’s an additional aspect of which we need to be aware: its effect on the giver.
Philanthropists live longer. Yes, that’s right; giving extends your life. You get an additional seven to nine years here on this earth. Why? I think that giving has a broad effect on your physiology and that it triggers your happiness. Giving raises your opinion of yourself, which extends your life because your health improves. Your attitude is positive and you have self-pride, which, in turn, is positive for your health.
Philanthropists, for a fact, have better health. The National Institute of Health did a survey of philanthropists; 73% of them said that giving made them feel much healthier and that they had lower blood pressure and less depression.
The other killer is stress, which is at bay because what it took to make that endowment has passed and you’ve gotten yourself into a positive mental and physical environment. Your health will respond.
Another result of giving is the effect that it has on your children. My children followed me into business. They have become philanthropists as well. They watched me, so now my family is known for giving on a broader scale and giving to local causes.
People look at you differently as well. If you have enough assets that you can afford to give money away, people respect that and see it as a noble thing. They respect the donors who made these gifts possible.
If you’re not already giving to the AMA Foundation, please contact us at (765) 287-1256 or foundation@modelaircraft.org and let’s get started. We have many funding opportunities available. You and your family can live on through endowment structures, where your gift can also live on.
