PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — George Ruhberg, a 93-year-old retired Marine, figured there was no time like the present to write a $1 million check to the local Shriners Hospital for Children. Ruhberg had been a volunteer at the hospital since 1994, and had included a bequest for it in his will. But the former accountant thought, why wait? Ruhberg told hospital officials a couple of months back that he wanted to make the donation now. Development Director Mark Thoreson told him to have his broker contact Shriners headquarters in Tampa, Fla., to arrange a funds transfer. "But he said, 'Hold on, I want to write a check,'" Thoreson said. "And I totally understand that: I wanted to make the transfer safe and he wanted the thrill of writing that check." Ruhberg got his moment on Memorial Day, when he wrote the check during a gathering with hospital officials in a common room of his retirement community. "Aren't you going to ask me about how I got the money?" he asked a reporter for The Oregonian newspaper. The answer? "I saved it." And it turns out the savings started with a military pension. Read More
Really, that's just awesome. My initial reasons for joining Masonry are closely tied to a Scottish Rite hospital. I love that these hospitals are so important to people.
