Nine years ago -- back in May 2000 -- I started the Honoring Our Ancestors Grants Program. It's a modest program run and funded by myself with the help of my good-natured husband, Brian. Folks take about five minutes to complete a brief form on my personal website and once a month, I print out all the latest applications. Brian and I then head to a coffee house along with new applications and all the others from the previous five months (they remain active for six months). Then we pick one and I write a check. That's the whole process. It's that simple. The only requirement is that they be for some sort of genealogically-oriented initiative.
When we picked the one for this May, it dawned on us that we've been doing this for nine years. I started the program as a way of giving back to the genealogical community because I consider myself very fortunate in so many ways, but I'll confess to you now that in the early days especially, it was sometimes difficult to come up with the funds for that month's grant. Still, I'm glad we stuck with it.
Every once in a while as I travel around speaking, folks will ask me about the program. How do I do my due diligence? How do I know the money is really used for the intended purpose? My system is admittedly less than scientific, but if I had any doubts whatsoever, the time leading up to the 9th anniversary this year brought me a reminder each and every month.
It's so random, but coincidentally (if that's what you want to call it!), I received a thank you out of the blue each month from someone I had given a grant to over the years -- going all the way back to 2001! Here, in chronological order, is what happened:
January 2009 -- speaking at AFFHO in Auckland, New Zealand. Christine Liava'a, who received the February 2003 grant to help with a book about 1,100 soldiers who served in WWI from Fiji, surprised me by showing up at the conference and giving me a copy of her book!
February 2009: I received the following eamil from Susan Parish who had received the May 2001 grant to store a collection of Washington State photographs.
March 2009: I received the following letter from the Great Falls Genealogy Society of Montana, the recipient of the June 2006 grant.
April 2009 -- speaking in Anchorage, Alaska: Representatives of the Totem Tracers Genealogical Society which received the February 2004 grant to capture and share cemetery records from the Kenai Peninsula surprised me by showing up and presenting me with lovely gifts, including a photo and ash from recent volcanic eruptions!
Thanks to each of you for reminding me why I started this grants program, and thanks for all the amazing projects you have undertaken for our collective benefit! If you'd like to browse the more than 100 other grants, please go to Honoring Our Ancestors, mouse over the Grants button at top, and select the year that interests you. And while you're there, feel free to submit for your own undertaking!
Take care,
Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak
I founded The Fuller Society in 1992 at Friendship,ME. It is for
descendants of the Fuller Pilgrim brothers, Edward & Dr. Samuel. I worked
on a plaque in their memory for years with no success. Now, there will be
a plaque ceremony on May 1,2011 at their church in Redenhall, England.
I will need funds to attend, perhaps around $1500-$2000. The Society
is putting $4000 toward the repair of a stained glass window plus the
price of the plaque. That is why I haven't asked them. I would love to go. I'm 84 years old with limited funds.
Posted by: Mary Lee Merrill | June 06, 2010 at 06:35 PM