The Beginning
Written by Julie Goldstein
On this day, August 26th, over five decades ago, my mom gave birth to me, her first child, in a small town in New Hampshire. On subsequent birthdays, my parents often recounted details of my birth on that cold and rainy New England afternoon. They were young parents barely scraping by while my dad finished his business degree. They had no idea what life down the road was going to look like for all of us.
Many decades later, my dad lost his battle with Cancer in 2009 at the much too young age of 67. He had an unexpectedly successful career and countless noteworthy adventures. By the time he died, he had raised three kids and put a divorce behind him. After his death, my sibling and I cleared out his home. We did not have many clues as to how to do such adult things as close the estate of a parent. Amidst our stark sense of loss, I took numerous overflowing boxes of slides, photos and handwritten cards. The 60’s era snapshots -- me a few months old and my parents in their 20’s about to enter a more adult world, always struck me. I often thought to myself how much simpler life looked back then when I gazed into their expressions in the fading, brown toned photos.
Tragically, at the outset of Covid in 2020, I said goodbye to my mom, my only remaining parent, after witnessing her succumb to dementia and Covid-19. This time around, grief and loss have felt very different in some respects, and similar in others. This phase of my journey is profoundly sad while simultaneously providing a series of catalysts for my personal evolution.
Both of my parents were intentional in their philanthropic lives, and educated their children about personal responsibilities, obligations, and opportunities that came with the passing of their respective foundations to us, the next generation. SWAHA Foundation is the “child” born a little over a year ago from prior iterations of family foundation structures that my parents formed in the 80’s. I never intended to manage a foundation, as I had plans other than to claim myself as a philanthropist, but here I am. SWAHA is the new child of unexpected good fortune and a clear case of ‘the universe often has plans in store for us that we may not know about’.
And, most importantly, SWAHA honors my dad and my mom. My dad never expected his good fortune that he worked hard to create. He was passionate about his ability to share his resources—financial and otherwise—with others in need. And my mom who was joyfully fulfilled by and committed to her numerous philanthropic endeavors. She adamantly wished that we continue to support critical global issues in the world, especially those that lifted up the lives of women and girls--whether she was here with us or not.
Additionally, SWAHA is a meaningful offering (as the term signifies) that distinguishes my life’s purpose of sharing good fortune with others. I sometimes consider SWAHA to be the gathering of an ignited grouping of sparks that land in places both close to home and across the globe. These sparks travel between people that can better themselves, support their causes and in turn, make positive changes on our planet.
This website highlights SWAHA’s first sparks that have been ignited and shared. More will spread in time.
