What would you do if someone gave you $100 and asked you to use it to do something good for someone?
That is exactly what financial advisor Theresa M. Hannon has done with her clients, and she thinks most will take her request to heart.
Hannon, founder of Theresa Hannon Financial Group Ltd. in Wheaton, Ill., is celebrating her 30th year in business next year. To kick off the celebration, she decided to make this year’s Thanksgiving letter to clients special by starting a Random Acts of Kindness campaign.
She tucked $100 bills in letters to 90 clients and made a request of them to perform a random act of kindness. The letter specifically asked recipients to use the money to help an individual or family – preferably a stranger.
In the letter, Hannon said, “Each holiday season, instead of sending gifts to our clients, I make a large contribution to a charity on everyone’s behalf. This year, I am asking YOU to help me celebrate 30 years in business.
“The gratitude I feel for the blessings I have been fortunate enough to receive in life is the inspiration behind this campaign.”
Hannon says she asked clients to help individuals, rather than a business or formal charity or nonprofit, so the impact of the gift can be seen.
“The clients’ gift to me is to tell me what they have done to impact someone else’s life,” she says.
The nearby blue collar town of Washington, Ill., suffered a devastating blow from a tornado Nov. 17 that leveled much of the community. One client bought a $100 gift card for a family that lost everything. Another bought formula for the baby of a family that lost their home.
Another client gave the money to his struggling stepson to buy food. He said the experience strengthened his relationship with the stepson.