n September 11, 2001, firefighters and
police officers rushed to Ground Zero. In the weeks
and months that followed this national tragedy,
America looked on as firefighters from across the
nation traveled great distances to rally around,
support and care for their own. And we all have seen
news accounts of funerals for police officers killed
in the line of duty. Law enforcement officers from
neighboring communities and states send
representatives to honor their fallen brethren. Is
this support unique to these dangerous professions?
Perhaps. But citizens of this country have a history
of being there for neighbors, coworkers and business
associates who have experienced a catastrophic
illness or event. And so it is with our profession
and our association with the AICPA Benevolent Fund.
I’m guessing that many of you have chipped in
your $10 annual contribution with little knowledge
of how the fund directs the money or the history
behind the AICPA’s tradition of assisting members
in need.
T he AICPA
Benevolent Fund was started in the 1930s
to help members and their families
struggling through various medical and
financial hardships. The accounting
profession has been very good to us—many
of us are first-generation college
graduates who have achieved a fairly
affluent lifestyle within a single
generation. The fund is a great way for us
to support those who have gone before us
in the profession and to “take care of our
own.” |
The AICPA
Benevolent Fund was started in
the 1930s to help members and
their families struggling
through various medical and
financial hardships.
| |
For the past year, it has been my privilege to
serve as a trustee of the fund and to see the
vital assistance we offer to many AICPA members
and their families. The work of the fund committee
is excellent, a combination of compassion and
tough love as we consider each case and discuss
whether we should increase, decrease, initiate or
discontinue support. These are very challenging
personal tragedies. Typically we are approached
when a colleague has fallen through his or her own
safety net and when government assistance is
either very limited or unavailable. Here
is a typical composite case of a beneficiary of
the fund: A 39-year-old female CPA named Tina has
a history of working for small CPA firms in her
home state. Since her college days she has
struggled with periodic bouts of serious
depression and anxiety that have affected her
ability to work. She was married for eight years
(now divorced) and has shared custody of her two
children, ages 11 and 9. Following her divorce her
struggle with mental illness progressed to a case
of chronic bipolar disorder with a suicidal
tendency. After years of various medications and
therapy, Tina’s psychiatrists have found new drug
treatments that are effective in treating her
condition. However, Tina is unable to consistently
work part-time due to loss of concentration and
other side effects, and the cost of treatment is
beyond her current resources. Her support
is effectively a team effort; she works whenever
possible but earns less than $10,000 per year.
Tina’s younger brother and his wife often help her
financially because their parents are deceased;
her former husband now provides all of the
children’s financial support. Even with this help,
Tina relies on credit cards just to meet routine
expenses. The increasing weight of debt adds to
her anxiety and she seeks assistance from her
friends at the local CPA firm. Through colleagues
at the firm, Tina learns about the AICPA
Benevolent Fund, and with the firm’s assistance,
she submits the information needed for a fund
review. In many cases like this, the fund
will step in and cover the cost of medications,
therapy and even routine household expenses. At
least twice a year, the AICPA staff person
assigned to the fund committee will check on the
member or family to assess ongoing needs. Support
and resources often extend beyond monetary
assistance. T hat’s just one example of
how each AICPA member who contributes to the fund
offers a helping hand to needy colleagues. Such
kindness reminds me of the angel Clarence, who
told George Bailey in the movie “It’s a Wonderful
Life,” “Every man’s life touches so many other
lives.” For me, it’s a simple gesture of giving
back to a profession that has provided so much.
So the next time you hear about the
outpouring of support shown by firefighters or
other professionals, understand that we, too, can
make a meaningful difference for our members and
their families. And if you hear of a fellow CPA in
need, remember that we, too, have a tradition of
helping—the AICPA Benevolent Fund.
To learn more about the fund or
to make a contribution, please
call Elizabeth Cich at the AICPA at
201-938-3490 or e-mail her at
ecich@aicpa.org
.
|
ROBERT PORTER, CPA, is CFO of Brim Healthcare,
Brentwood, Tennessee, and a member of the board of
trustees of the AICPA Benevolent Fund. His e-mail
is
bob.porter@brimhealthcare.com . |