This September, Mike Brady welcomed a special guest to Colorado: his friend Sergii, co-founder of the Ukrainian Mercy Foundation, visiting from Kyiv. It was Sergii’s first trip outside Ukraine since 2018. Over his two weeks here, the two sat down for a conversation about friendship, resilience and what it really means to give.
People want to do good
At Generosity, we’ve long believed that most people want to make a difference in the world. They just aren’t always sure where to start.
“It’s up to us to help guide them,” Mike says, “to really make the impact.” For Mike, that is what living your legacy means. A legacy can be measured in more than assets. It can be the people you’ve served and the communities you’ve brought together.
Giving helps the giver
Sergii knows what it is to need help. When the full-scale war reached Kyiv in 2022, he found himself in a situation where, as he puts it, he didn’t know how to help himself. So he started helping others.
“You cannot change your life,” he says, “but you can help another life.” Doing that, he found, gave him the strength to keep going.
Mike shared a thought often attributed to Mother Teresa: that she must be the most selfish person in the world, because helping others made her feel so good. The more she gave, the better she felt. Anyone who has volunteered, mentored or written a check to a cause they love knows the feeling.
No gift is too small
One of the most striking things Sergii said was about the size of a gift. A few dollars, he explained, can give someone the feeling that they did something good today. In his view, there is no such thing as a small donation.”Even your attention to a problem,” he says, “is already a donation.”
It’s a generous way to think about giving. You don’t have to solve everything. Noticing, learning and caring all count.
Generosity flows both ways
Sergii is a proud member of Rotary in Kyiv, just as Mike is a proud Boulder Rotarian. For Sergii, Rotary is a way to show that Ukraine is not only a nation receiving help. Even in wartime, Ukrainian Rotarians support humanitarian projects for children in South America, Central America and Africa. “After the war,” he says, “we will help too.”
That spirit runs in both directions. This year, seven or eight Rotary clubs from Boulder, the wider Colorado region and the Netherlands joined the Vinnytsia club in Ukraine to fund a new playground at a children’s hospital in Vinnytsia, with support from a Colorado district grant. Construction was underway as Mike and Sergii recorded this conversation.
It’s a simple picture of what generosity can do: people in several countries, most of whom will never meet, coming together so children can play.
Finding your way to give
As Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday (December 1) approach, many of us are thinking about where our generosity can make a difference. If that’s on your mind, a few places to start:
• Give your attention. Learn about a cause, listen to someone’s story, share it with a friend.
• Give locally. Service organizations like Rotary welcome new members and volunteers.
• Give with a plan. If charitable giving is part of your year-end goals, the timing and approach matter. Our article The GIFT of Being Prepared covers four conversations worth having before December 31.
Whatever form your generosity takes, we’d be glad to help you connect it to the legacy you want to live.
This article is intended for general educational purposes and should not be considered individualized investment, tax or legal advice. Consult your financial, tax and legal professionals regarding your specific circumstances.