CHAPTER ONEReginald, the elderly mayor of the town, is grateful that you have pledged your assistance. The highest priority for the town is establishing a new source of drinking water. Their old well was contaminated by roving marauders in an attempt to drive the villagers away. Though the marauders were dealt with, the issue remains. You want to find a new underground water source and have heard stories of an old diviner that lives in the foothills about 10 miles away. You hope to convince the diviner to help you locate a clean water source where you can place the well. You find that the nearest river is only four miles away. The locals have been traveling there every day to gather clean water, but they know it’s not a long-term solution. But if there was a way to bring the river to the village, they would have more water than they would ever need. The next day you reach the old diviner’s hut and explain the situation. His emaciated form involuntarily shudders as you talk about the villager’s plight, but his eyes briefly shine as you identify how he can help. He agrees to journey with you, but is not well enough to walk on his own. Luckily, you have strength to share and fashion a harness to carry the man down the slope without over encumbering yourself. When you reach the village, the diviner sits in the center of town, closes his eyes, and the color drains from his face as he struggles to magically determine a clean source of water. After over an hour of concentrating, he smiles and points westward and says, “About a ½ mile that way is clean, clear, refreshing water.” You head there and begin digging. Sure enough, the water is there! You assist the rest of the villagers in building the well and grant them fresh water for years to come. You navigate to the river, keeping track of every hill, valley, and obstruction along the way. By the time you reach the banks you are confident that your plan can be accomplished – it will just take hard work and determination. You take a pickaxe and carve a path through the muddy bank toward the town. Water slowly trickles into the patch, encouraging you to work harder. By the time you head back to the village, you’ve created a sizable divot for workers to grow and reinforce. You ask for volunteers from the village and establish two teams – one to work on the aqueduct, and another to build a dam to encourage more water to flow through. It takes several months, but every day you make progress in transforming the earth and reshaping its natural contours to benefit the village. In just four months, you’ve cut a path in the once dry soil and delivered fresh water to those in need.CHAPTER TWOThough water has returned to this parched village, there is still more work to be done. The meeting house – once the largest building in Mordren, was badly damaged from a fire six months ago. The townsfolk, barely surviving on their own, haven’t been able to rebuild. But now with your help, they are eager to recreate what was once the liveliest place in town. How do you refurbish the dilapidated structure? You decide to preserve as much of the building as possible, as a tribute to what came before while improving the original. You decide to give the villagers an all new building – something they can put their mark on and make unique to them. You start by consulting with the local blacksmith and carpenter. They are eager to get to work, and are happy to hear that you want to pay homage to the original building. They replace the rotting lumber and reinforce joints in the construction with metal rivets to ensure the new structure will last a lifetime. The whole town assists in the coming weeks to build walls and craft intricate designs on the interior depicting the history of the town. You work tirelessly to give these people a place where they can meet, gather, and celebrate. The first step in this construction effort is just the opposite – destruction. You enlist the help of local boys and girls to haul out old materials and let them have some fun destroying the old structure. Once the rubble is cleared away, the entire town meets to determine what the new building will look like and the purpose it serves. Each person is given the opportunity to give their ideas, making it a true community project. At the public opening of the new hall, a plaque is hung in the entryway listing all of the villagers’ names and the contributions they made. The majestic building you created stands apart from the rest of the structures of the town. It’s unique not because it’s the vision of a singular person, but because it combines the best parts of everyone in the town. CHAPTER THREEAs your time in the town comes to an end, the mayor and citizens of Mordren want to honor you with a town festival. And as one last favor, they ask for you to make a toast celebrating your time together. What do you say? You make your speech thanking the citizens for helping you create lasting memories of an experience you won’t soon forget. You make your speech about the values of hard work and the magic of what people can accomplish when they work together. With a glint in your eye, you raise a glass at the end of the evening and say the following: “To the citizens of Mordren – thank you. When I first encountered your village, I was tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of training. Tired of facing opposition at every turn. But in this town, even though you were facing dire times, you were positive about the future. You were good. You had hope. And that hope rubbed off on me. I understand that this event tonight was your way of thanking me for helping you save your town. But from my perspective, it was you who really saved me.” With pride in your voice, you raise a glass and say the following: “Citizens of Mordren – look around you. Everything that you see is because of your efforts. You remained optimistic in a time of despair, and refused to give up in spite of everything life threw at you. And together, we made it better. What we’ve built here is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of a determined people; Men, women, and children that desire to make their lives better and have the motivation to get it done. Skills can be learned and techniques can be taught, but there isn’t a lesson for dedication. That has to come from within. And because of your dedication and teamwork, we are celebrating our accomplishments tonight. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.” Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective In life, giving of oneself efficiently is not as direct as it may first appear. While it is true that your character could have spent many hard months digging a ditch from the river, he realized in this scenario that reaching out to the emaciated diviner could also give that person purpose and lend aid to the common goal of helping the village find water. Often, working smarter beats working harder, especially in your philanthropic efforts. Everyone wants to be part of something greater than themselves, but it takes a brave person to take a not-so-obvious path to the finish line and convince those working with you that fruition will come for all in the end. Chapter One: From the Advisor's Perspective Being the tough guy that he is, Valendir rolls up his sleeves and begins the very long task of cutting four miles of an aqueduct for the villager’s benefit. He knows that in the end, it will all be worth it, but feels a little underappreciated for the hard work he is putting in. While not glamorous, the effort to accomplish the task in this manner was great, and, as in life, likely well under-appreciated by the recipients while the project was in progress. Philanthropy is a tricky thing, one that we at our firm are very much interested in helping you navigate. Besides, what good is saving all your life if you don’t put some of these resources to use while you can still see the benefits? Sometimes giving of your time or talent can be the answer. Sometimes, a monetary gift is best. Regardless of how you give of yourself, it’s our goal to keep you giving (or help you start) to make this world a better place now and after you’re gone. We do it regularly, and would love to show you how much joy it can bring in your own financial plan and daily life!Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective Valendir is determined to preserve the history of this building while bringing it up to current standards. He feels it will be a chance for him to leave a lasting mark on this community which he cares for so much. In the end, the new building preserved the look and feel of the town and will be used for generations to come for community festivals and celebrations. In giving, it’s important to give just because you can. It may not bring you recognition or be executed in your vision, but the gifting with no strings attached is one of the purest forms of giving one can do. We celebrate giving in all forms in our practice. But, the gift made without expectation of reward (often times anonymously) remains in our eyes the purest and most noble form of giving – and therefore the one you will receive the most joy from.Chapter Two: From the Advisor's Perspective Buildings are great ways to create legacies. If that is part of your giving plan, we can work with you to identify a building or naming opportunity that matches your personal goals and gift amount. Or, if your entrepreneurial talent is in construction or production of materials, there are many charities we work closely with are always looking for help. Regardless of your life circumstance, we can help you find a way to serve your community and give of yourself while you’re still around to enjoy the fruits of such efforts.Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective Valendir has not had it easy on his path to this point. Taking one thankless job after another, he continued to give of himself, even when he felt he had no more to give. Then, his life changed, for the better, after meeting the citizens of Mordren. Sometimes, it can take wandering from group to group to find where you best fit in and are appreciated for what you bring to the table. This can be in anything from your local house of worship, to your gaming group, to a charity of your choice. And, when you find the right place, the gratitude you are shown can be quite humbling, as Valendir experienced in our story. No one place is a “catch all” for everyone who has a charitable streak to them. That’s why we have so many great causes to choose from in the donation of our time and talent. If you have “giver’s exhaustion”, give us a call. With the many agencies we and our clients have been involved with over the years, I’m sure we can help you to find the right place, cause, or organization in which to engage and enjoy giving to its fullest again.Chapter Three: From the Advisor's Perspective Valendir realizes that it takes a literal village to accomplish the things he’s seen in Mordren. That's why he takes a modest approach to his speech and thanks others for his perceived success. If your gifts to society can not be anonymous, the next best thing is to be modest and give credit to others for helping make the gift possible. Giving others a sliver of recognition in accomplishing something for the greater good turns them into great volunteers for your cause, whatever that may be. Take a moment today to recognize those around you who have made your generosity possible. You’ll be surprised at the responses you will get, which in turn, will lift your spirits and perpetuate the cycle of giving back in your life.Are you looking to give back to your loved ones, community, or a charitable organization? Allow the advisors at Witten Financial to guide you through the giving process and help craft a positive legacy for you that will last generations. Contact Aaron TodayName Email Message Choose Your Character About Services Blog Contact
