Book of Dreams: She gave $10,000 to help others. Here’s why she and other readers donated
A week ago, on National Wreaths Across America Day, you could see an unusual level of hustle and bustle on the grounds of the Newcastle Cemetery.
From neighboring Taylor Road, you could spot men, women and children traipsing up and down rolling hills dotted with trees and headstones. Each person carried several balsam wreaths in hand or held them in the crook of their arm. They stopped where they found the markers of veterans, laid wreaths and spoke their names.
The ceremony was the culmination of a campaign by Newcastle resident Joanne English, and was made possible by a $12,000 gift through The Sacramento Bee’s Book of Dreams, the community effort in its 35th year that grants the holiday wishes of those who are struggling or need a boost to make a difference.
Among those gathered at the Placer County cemetery last Saturday was 98-year-old William Fawx, who was wearing a military hat. He comes there every day to visit the grave of his late wife Emma.
And on this day, he did double duty, bringing a special holiday wreath decorated with poinsettias for her headstone and standing to salute the veterans who have fallen before him in a ceremony in the cemetery’s pavilion, attended by more than 100 people.
Fawx’s affinity for the cemetery and to public service was clear. He is one of 16,000 World War II vets living in California today. He was a Navy lieutenant commander who served in World War II and the Korean War, assigned to the Navy’s amphibious forces. He served in the Naval Reserves for 26½ years. And following that, he worked for the state of California, retiring after 37 years of service.
In 2016, he lost his vocal chords to cancer, and speaking takes effort, his words channeled through an electronic larynx machine that he holds to his throat. Making clear that his presence was important, he said simply:
“A special day.” And he smiled.
A unifying event
Readers of the Book of Dreams project thought the cause was special, too.
After publication of a story about English’s efforts to set up a new local version of Wreaths Across America Day and place wreaths on 848 veterans’ graves, donations have been coming in.
As a result, the entire Newcastle Cemetery District was able to join with 3,400 other locations across the United States to honor the fallen on what Congress has declared the official Wreaths Across America Day.
English’s request was funded earlier than most – to enable her to purchase the wreaths in time for the event. She said the ceremony had greater resonance than she expected, serving as a unifying event for people in her area.
“It was a great thing for the veterans, which was the intent, but also for the community,” she said. “And it wouldn’t have been possible without readers from the Book of Dreams responding as they did.”
What moves us to donate
Those readers are among hundreds of Sacramentans who have made contributions so far to this year’s Book of Dreams campaign. Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised for the 10 people or groups whose stories have been profiled in The Bee since Thanksgiving Day.
Among those wishes: Funds for groups helping children, fire victims, those with multiple sclerosis, the unhoused and organizations devoted to caring for animals.
The campaign last year raised more than $144,000. This year, the philanthropic world faces uncertainty, with various reports suggesting that charitable giving may be declining amid worries about inflation, falling stock prices and fears of a looming recession.
One study recently cited in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the bible of charitable giving, specifically identified worries about a “collapse” in the number of small-gift donors.
But Kerry Wood, chief executive of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, which administers the Book of Dreams project for The Bee, said she has seen no downturn in local giving, based on Sacramentans’ participation in national events such as Giving Tuesday and the Big Day of Giving.
She said Giving Tuesday contributions that were received through the foundation’s donation platform more than doubled the total received in 2021. For the Big Day of Giving, the $13.4 million raised locally in a 24-hour period exceeded the previous year’s total by $100,000.
Wood said her sense is that tough times sometimes prompt people to increase their giving to organizations that provide basic services, such as food banks and shelters.
“People in this community often step up, often even greater than in less-challenging times, because they know the needs are greater,” she said.
‘Like a karma thing’
That sentiment was echoed by Marty Katz, an East Sacramento resident who recently retired from his job as a manager at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
“I think that plays into it,” he said of the notion that tougher times inspire greater giving. “When people are hurting, it motivates people to help out when they possibly can.”
Katz said he and his wife were particularly moved by the Book of Dreams request from the Multiple Sclerosis Achievement Center for new exercise equipment for people struggling with the neurological disorder.
And they liked having the ability to direct their contribution to a specific local cause.
Giving to large national organizations feels like your gift is “going into the ocean,” he said. “Here it’s local and specific … and you know exactly where your money is going.”
Also contributing to the MS center was Karen Long, a retired Sacramento business owner. She donated $10,000.
Long said she’s had MS for 38 years and called herself fortunate not to have needed the sort of services offered at the center.
“I am amazed that I live in Sacramento and have never heard of the center and I thought they could really use some help,” she said.
Of her gift, she said, “I’m as fortunate as I can be and I can do it, so I did.”
Another donor, who asked only to be identified as Nancy K., who is 82, said she directed $500 of her $1,000 gift to the Mercy Pedalers, a group seeking new adult tricycles to help their mission of bringing coffee, food and other supplies to Sacramento’s unhoused community.
She said she learned the spirit of giving from her father and has always tried to help the less fortunate.
“I believe it comes back to you,” she said of the money given to help others. “It’s almost like a karma thing.”
Retired advertising and marketing person Janet Wessell said she earmarked her gift for the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael, which is seeking funding for an 8-foot-tall outdoor enclosure to house temporarily some of the center’s larger birds.
After reading the story about Effie Yeaw, she said she thought, “Oh, my goodness, I remember taking the kids there when they were little.” She recalled how she obtained a book from Effie Yeaw that helped her identify many of the birds that make the area around her home on the American River Parkway seem “like an airport” this time of year.
She offered this bit of advice to area kids and their parents: “Effie Yeaw is a wonderful resource. Get off your computers. Get off your games. Get out and enjoy what you have here.”
And Carol Seperas of Sacramento, who supports Book of Dreams every year, said she was moved by the campaign to place wreaths at the cemetery in Newcastle.
“We have a lot of veterans in our family. so I thought that would be wonderful to do,” she said.
You still have plenty of time to donate to the Book of Dreams. Donations are tax deductible and none of the dollars received is used for administrative costs.
You can donate by going to sacbee.com/bookofdreams.
