We sometimes take our favorite philanthropists for granted.
Maybe it's because throwing around a few million to support global education here, writing a fat check to fight poverty there doesn’t really put a dent in the wallet of someone who’s achieved billionaire status. But what we never really took time to think about was how some of the mega-rich donors didn’t always live the cushy life of caviar and private jets.
Some of the wealthiest givers out there struggled to get by while growing up –- working odd jobs and never quite being sure that they would escape their humble beginnings.
But seven magnanimous givers managed to do just that. They went from paupers to serious philanthropists who always keep the underprivileged in mind when it comes to doling out their fortunes.
Michael Bloomberg
Before Michael Bloomberg became the 15th-richest man in the
world (so wealthy that he takes in only $1 salary for his job as mayor), his
dad worked seven days a week to feed the family and Bloomberg parked cars at
Johns Hopkins University to pay his tuition bills. The mogul, who launched his
eponymous financial news and information company in 1981, has donated more than
$2.4 billion and he's pledged half his wealth to the Giving Pledge.
JK Rowling
A once unemployed, single mom who relied on welfare, JK
Rowling managed to make it to Forbes’ list of billionaires with the wild
success of her Harry Potter series. But when the scribe dropped from
billionaire to millionaire last year, it had nothing to do with black magic. It
was primarily because she had donated $160 million to charity, focusing mostly
on helping disadvantaged children and single-parent households.
Larry Ellison
After his teen mom gave him up, Larry Ellison –-founder of
Oracle –-grew up on the South Side, dropped out of college and had enough money
for gas and fast food when he started working odd jobs in California. But after
his billion-dollar company took off, Ellison quietly gave millions to medical
research and education. He went public with his generosity by joining the
Giving Pledge because Warren Buffett said he would be “influencing
others."
Oprah Winfrey
When Oprah Winfrey built a school in South Africa for
disadvantaged girls, she vowed to give both her money and time –- time that
she’s spent bonding with girls who grew up with similar poverty struggles the
“Queen of Talk” faced as a child in Mississippi. The now billionaire has made
charity a prime priority in her life and has donated more than $400 million to
girls’ education in the U.S. and abroad.
Bernard Marcus
The son of Russian immigrants, Bernard Marcus grew up in the
tenements with little money and couldn’t afford to become a doctor. After
becoming a pharmacist, Marcus got involved in discounting and eventually
co-founded Home Depot. The now-billionaire joined the Giving Pledge, retired in
2001 to focus on philanthropy and said he plans to bequeath his fortune (sorry
kids) to his foundation, which supports education and people with disabilities.
David Geffen
The man who launched the Eagles, Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses
(and other era-defining bands) grew up in a one-bedroom apartment where he
slept on the couch and his mother supported them with her corset shop. But
David Geffen became a multimillionaire by 25 and didn’t wait long to become a
serious philanthropist. The largest-ever donor to UCLA, Geffen has given more
than $300 million the university and the medical school was named for him in
2002.
Jon Bon Jovi
He may not give as much money as some of philanthropy’s
major players, but Jon Bon Jovi – the legendary rocker from New Jersey who once
worked as a janitor at his cousin’s recording studio – was named Forbes’ No. 1
celebrity in terms of how he translates his fame into good. His foundation has
spent $6 million building and restoring homes, his band donated $1 million for
Katrina relief and he played a major role in fundraising after Hurricane Sandy.
(Huffington Post)
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