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August 15, 2019 Rainmaker

Member Story, Rosalie

Marvin, an old man in his 90s, lives on the outskirts of the city. He was never married and never had children, so his only living family member is his sister’s son. Marvin’s nephew, Reynaldo, lives in a cave by the sea, several miles from the city. As bleak as the situation may seem, Marvin looks after Reynaldo as if he were his own son. Marvin wakes up early every morning to travel from the city to the sea, in order to care for his nephew. Marvin is entitled to one meal a day through a local charity, but he offers that to Reynaldo. Every morning before picking up the meal, a woman from the local Baptist church named Rosalie opens her house to offer Marvin some sustenance for the day’s journey.

It might appear that the most obvious opportunity for Common Change to offer financial support in this situation would be towards Marvin or Reynaldo. But the group is directly connected to Rosalie, who lends a tender hand to lighten Marvin’s load, while preserving the dignity of Marvin to do what he can to care for his nephew. Marvin and Reynaldo may never meet any of the group members who know Rosalie, but they have already benefitted from their generosity