Witnessing Spokane’s charitable nature

The past summer has been an incredible time for charitable giving in the Spokane region.

First, Saturday, Sept. 29, Dutch Bros gave $1 from every $2 medium drink toward Cat Davis, a 25-year-old Spokane resident suffering from scleroderma. A second fundraiser was held just last week for Davis where all of the area Papa Murphy’s locations donated $3 from every family size pizza purchase.

Of the initial $175,000 goal, around $86,000 was raised to help pay for the cost of a stem cell transplant in hopes of saving Davis’ life. After being denied insurance coverage twice, the Northwest Medical Review Board overturned her insurance company’s decision.

What’s really striking is the $86,000 was raised in just under a month, with the bulk of it coming from those two distinct fundraising events. It speaks to the character of this region and our innate desire to help those in need.

The West Plains even saw a series of fundraisers for Jackie Gleason, the Michael Anderson Elementary teacher who suffered an aneurism June 25.

Thousands of dollars were raised from friends, family and community members gathering to help one of their own. A workplace can be a strong pool of resources, and for someone as beloved as Gleason in this community, the turnout was awe-inspiring. Seeing so many come from the school district to support a fellow teacher was just as powerful as the amount earned that night.

Both of these saw massive organization through social media. Flocking to Facebook and Twitter are the standards, and while social media networks can help spread information, it takes a dedicated group of people to turn it into a success. Coupled with local media support, spreading the word about local charities is getting easier as time moves on. But, people reside at the core of every organization.

These success stories speak to the good nature of residents in the Spokane area, and it’s something of which other cities across the country should take notice. Money wasn’t taken out of paychecks and given to these charities, but rather it was given freely by us, and of our own free will. For myself, that small little difference helps make a personal donation all the more meaningful.

It just goes to show that a little effort and a lot of love can change the world, or at the very least, one person’s life.