BELLA VISTA -- Sitting in his modest kitchen, the man who wants to be known as Francis, is talking about matters that some of us would rather not anticipate. Francis is over 90. His wife died several years ago. He knows he doesn't have a lot of time left and he wants to make sure his estate, the money he's saved over a long lifetime of work, goes where he wants it to go.
"I've been a lucky guy, a real lucky guy," he said, adding, "We never made a lot of money."
The money he made working in the social services field, he invested carefully. When he retired and sold the home where he and his wife had raised their children, they found the house had more than tripled in value. That money went into a money-market fund when the couple moved to Bella Vista to retire.
Now, he said, he doesn't have much use for money.
"The good Lord has been good to me," he said, "so I have to give some back."
As he considered where his money could do the most good, he heard about two local nonprofits, both helping women and children. Both are closely related to churches.
Audrey's Home of Hope is just getting started. Once a down payment has been raised, executive director Jennifer Reis said they will buy a house and use it as a home for pregnant women in crisis. The house, a six-bedroom home on a 14-acre wildlife preserve, has already been chosen. The residence has even been rezoned, but they are still working to come up with the cash for a down payment.
Oasis started three years ago with a rented house and a program to aid women recovering from addictions and other crises.
Francis has been a recovering alcoholic for almost 50 years, so he knows addictions.
But Francis wants to do more than just make a donation. He wants to encourage other people to donate as well, so he decided to offer matching donations to each group. For each dollar they raise, he will match with $2.
Both Oasis and Audrey's have fundraisers already planned.
Oasis executive director Catherine Luck said a golf tournament is in the planning stages and she has applied for grants. Part of the Oasis program is Tranquility by Oasis, an online retail shop where handmade products are sold. Tranquility not only helps support the program, it also teaches new skills to some of the participants.
The group has already leased three homes in Bella Vista. Each is shared by two or three women and their young children. Their biggest need now, Luck said, is a van so the women can get back and forth to jobs and meetings.
Audrey's is in the process of opening a resale shop in the Highland Shopping Center. They have hired an expert, Rosie Tucker, who once ran Sensibly Chic, a very successful consignment shop that was destroyed by fire last year.
She is already accepting donations to stock the new store, Sensibly Chic II. Eventually the store will help pay for the costs of running the home, but until the home is purchased, profits will go towards the down payment.
Both organizations opened separate accounts at Arvest for donations that will be matched by Francis. The money can't be used until the match is received, said board member Ed Lemerise. So far, there's no time limit on the matches and Francis hopes to donate up to $100,000 for each organization.
For Francis, donating his savings is simply the right thing to do.
"I really feel good about it," he said. "I pray a lot and He lets me know. I can tell when it's the Holy Spirit who wants me to do something."
Both organizations have websites and Facebook pages. Check out http://audreyshomeofhope.org and http://www.oasisnwa.org. Donations can be made through the websites or any Arvest Bank.
General News on 02/11/2015