According to a report, the philanthropic spirit of MacKenzie Scott, renowned for her multi-billion dollar donations to various causes, was sparked by a gesture of kindness from her college roommate, Jeannie Ringo Tarkenton.
What Happened: Scott, who came into a substantial share in Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) post her divorce from the company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, has been a notable figure in philanthropy in the recent years.
Through her philanthropic initiative, Yield Giving, established in 2022, she has contributed an impressive $19.25 billion.
Scott’s philanthropic path was shaped by a touching gesture from her college roommate, Tarkenton, who lent her $1,000 during a challenging period in her sophomore year.
This act of generosity deeply influenced Scott, motivating her to pay it forward.
“It is these ripple effects that make imagining the power of any of our own acts of kindness impossible. Whose generosity did I think of every time I made every one of the thousands of gifts I’ve been able to give?,” she wrote in one of her essays.
Also Read: MacKenzie Scott Has Donated More Than $19 Billion, Yet Her Wealth Grows Faster
“It was the college roommate who found me crying, and acted on her urge to loan me a thousand dollars to keep me from having to drop out in my sophomore year,” she wrote.
Intriguingly, Tarkenton went on to establish Funding U, a firm that offers low-interest loans to students from low-income backgrounds, an idea inspired by her act of kindness towards Scott.
The firm has since disbursed $80 million in loans to nearly 8,000 students.
Despite her substantial contributions, Tarkenton remains modest, crediting the success of the students she assists to their own perseverance and hard work.
She holds the belief that minor acts of kindness can collectively create a significant impact, a notion clearly embodied by Scott’s philanthropy.
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