Recently we received a major gift from a local club that’s been around for over two decades. What made the Berks Bulls reach out this year? We asked member Brad Hall to fill us in.
What is Berks Bulls? It’s an investment club. Currently, we have 21 members. I would describe it as a social/financial education club. We typically meet one evening a month over dinner and drinks at the Berkshire Country Club. One member presents a “Sell” recommendation and another a “Buy” recommendation, and after hearty discussion, we vote on the recommendations. Our meetings are usually supervised by our financial advisor at Merrill Lynch and he helps guide the discussion and answers questions. It’s a fun way to educate ourselves on financial markets.
How did BB get involved with Opportunity House? Typically, we hold a holiday party with our spouses at the Berkshire in early December, and the Treasurer presents the couples with a “dividend” check for the year–a sort of end-of-year gift. This year, we canceled the party because of COVID and decided to donate our normal dividend checks to a local charity or two. We wanted our donation to go directly to an agency impacted by the pandemic. Helping Harvest and Opportunity House quickly emerged as consensus favorites of the group.
What is your personal philosophy of giving? I learned about giving early on from my parents and it carried on through life. Of course, in the early years I couldn’t afford to give financially. But I saw Moms and Dads running cub scouts, boy scouts, PTA, little league and football. I grew up in a military family and we lived in small military communities where Dads were often deployed overseas. Neighbors pitched in to help each other in a true spirit of community. Everyone was expected to contribute something. Looking back, I received a lot, the least I can do is pay this debt forward.