August 31, 2006 Issue                                       

©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Charity begins at (Bennett’s) home, to put it mildly
by PAULA M. RILEY

Bennett Fairorth reviews some of the hundreds of thank you letters he has received from the 747 non-profit organizations he contributed to this year. (Photo by Paula M. Riley)

This is the 19th in an ongoing series of articles by Paula M. Riley on Chestnut Hill area volunteers

I have been writing every week in the Local about big-hearted area residents who generously donate their time to local non-profit organizations, but these same organizations could not exist if not for voluntary contributions of money as well as time. And when it comes to donating money to organizations, localite Bennett Fairorth — although he is no billionaire Bill Gates or Donald Trump — might qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records under “Most Charitable Donations.”

Each year on February 1, Bennett starts saving the letters. Though they arrive from organizations throughout Philadelphia and across the world, they all make the same request: please contribute money. That is exactly what Fairorth does!

After collecting and alphabetizing the solicitation letters, he creates a list of the organizations that solicited him for funds. During the first days of June, Fairorth writes a check to every single organization that has sent him a request. This year, he contributed to 747 organizations — over $17,000 in all!

Fairorth, who will turn 80 this Friday, describes his efforts quite simply, “I do this once a year, and that’s it. I know that I have done the best I could. If I’m healthy, then I’ll continue to do it.”

His annual ritual began in 1992, shortly after retiring from his job teaching English at Council Rock High School in Bucks County. While still a teacher, Fairorth wanted to make charitable contributions but had a difficult time determining which organizations were most deserving. He decided that some day he would send something to all of them. His retirement brought him the free time needed to complete this task.

His donation efforts are more of a coordinated process than simply a task. He has very specific criteria and defined steps he follows each year. Beginning with the solicitations, Fairorth only supports organizations whose letters are received during the four-month period between February 1 and May 31. Solicitation letters that arrive any other time of year, no matter how moving or how often they are sent, go directly into the recycling. Yearlong he receives solicitation letters, averaging 10 to 15 a day. “My mailman drives his truck right up to my house and tells me, ‘If I had to carry this much mail to every house, I’d get a hernia,’” Fairorth says with a grin.

Next step is organizing the letters. Letters are kept with the return envelopes and sorted in alphabetical order as they are received. Fairorth is always amazed by the numerous requests certain organizations send during this short time period. When June 1 arrives, using a blank sheet of paper he handwrites, in three slanted columns, the names of each organization he will be supporting that year. Then the check-writing and letter-stuffing process begins.

Fairorth describes what he considers the worst part of the process — stuffing, stamping and sealing the envelopes. He lays a towel on his kitchen table and uses a dampened sponge to seal the envelopes, “I was always running out of the water, so this year I decided to use scotch tape.” Since only two-thirds of the organizations send stamped, addressed return envelopes, Fairorth has to buy and adhere many stamps as well.

Once all are stamped and ready to go, Fairorth arrives outside the post office around 7:30 a.m., and in bundles of 20 letters or so, he slides all 747 into the slot himself. Leaving the letters with a clerk at the desk is unappealing to him. “I guess I just like putting them in the slot myself. When I’m finished putting them in the slots, I’m glad that it is done for this year,” he says.

His work is hardly ‘done.’ The organizations he supports uses his donations to help people and animals throughout the world. Many Chestnut Hill residents are impacted by organizations supported by Fairorth such as the American Cancer Society, Abington Memorial Hospital, B’nai B’rith International, Arthritis Foundation, Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Other non-profit groups benefiting from his kindness include The Adirondack Council, United Soup Kitchens, Catholic Charities and In Defense of Animals. Each year about 150 recipients are Jewish organizations and those supporting Israel.

As he reads the many thank you letters from recipient organizations, he learns more about their purpose and mission. The beneficiaries send acknowledgements, receipts or stories of the people they encounter. Tales of terminally ill children, endangered species, paralyzed adults, environmental projects, rescued animals and work of legal advocacy groups fill the pages of hundreds of thank you’s. Each illustrates for him how his small donations have impacted the world.

Fairorth enjoys reading these letters, but per his routine, on his birthday (September 1) Fairorth reviews them one last time and then throws the letters away. “This is my end to the whole experience until the next year.”

Despite his continuous generosity, Fairorth receives some criticism for his actions. His son thinks he should not give money to organizations that he has not thoroughly researched. “My son chides me for doing this, but I don’t care,” Fairorth says. “This is my chance to help so many children, animals, sick people and organizations.”

He holds strong in his conviction that he is making a difference in the lives of many, despite his son’s concerns. “The rewards of my donations far outweigh whatever shortcomings some organizations may have,” Fairorth explains. “I happen to have a little faith in their ardor to help others. I have to believe that they are doing good.”

A colorful writer and author of 10 self-published novels, Fairorth recognizes that his giving protocol is interesting material. In his newest book, due out in late September, titled The Tutor with Implanted Radiation Seeds, he devotes an entire chapter describing his contribution process. The novel is a mostly autobiographical story of his own experience as a volunteer tutor of adult males working towards their GED.

Fairorth has been supporting hundreds of charitable organizations for 16 years not because it makes a good story, or he wants the recognition, or his bank account is bottomless. He does it because he can. He appreciates what he has, and he wants to share it. “Many of my friends are dead or sick, but here I am,” he stated. “This is how I express my thanks for my good luck and good fortune.”