My Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Experience

© U.S. Fund for UNICEF Bill Powell resides in New York City.

Bill Powell is a U.S. Fund for UNICEF Danny Kaye Society member and monthly pledge donor.  He resides in New York City and is a financial software representative.

My first memories of UNICEF are from my childhood.  I grew up on Long Island and every year, just before Halloween, our school handed out Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF boxes and encouraged all of us to take part.  Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF was something that I could do to help children who were less fortunate while still having fun.   I can still recall my mother gently reminding me just before I hit the sidewalks, “After ‘Trick-or-Treat,’ don’t forget to say ‘do you have anything extra for UNICEF?’” Collecting change for UNICEF while getting a pirate’s haul of candy made the whole Halloween experience seem much less selfish.  I honestly think this simple act helped instill a sense of charity in me at a very young age.

In my early thirties, I began donating on a more regular basis and added to my list of charities as I started to do better financially.  After I inherited money from my parents, a financial advisor recommended that I have a will drafted.  I wanted to first provide for my family and leave my remaining assets to several charities, including the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

I like UNICEF for what it is doing to meet the most fundamental needs of children around the world . . . basics like vaccines, clean water, nutrition and shelter.  I don’t think there is anything more heart wrenching than a suffering child.  And a suffering child who still has a smile on his or her face really touches me.  Sometimes I think about my own difficulties in life and when I see that smile on a child who has suffered, it puts everything into perspective very quickly.

UNICEF also does a very good job of getting to places in the world that truly need help –places where there are political challenges or are too remote for other charities to reach.  UNICEF helps all children regardless of race, religion or country of origin.

The problems facing children around the world will continue well beyond our lifetimes.  All of us need to do our part in finding solutions to these problems and helping to make the world a better place for children.

And it’s a pretty good bet, given the fact that I was walking around with milk cartons almost 40 years ago, that UNICEF will be around to help children for many years to come.

This is why I have selected UNICEF as a beneficiary of my estate plan.  Join me and become part of a group of dedicated individuals supporting the U.S. Fund for UNICEF through their estate and financial plans.