Donor Stories

In 2002, Jack Arndt was about to become part of something that would change the lives of others and forever change him.

My connection to Seattle Children’s began with my husband, Dale, years before I met him. At the age of 12, he traveled alone by train from Colorado to Seattle with nothing but the hope that a well-known surgeon at “the Orthopedic” could treat the rare disease that was slowly eroding the bones in his legs.

Late in life Frances decided to set two goals for herself: to be healthy enough to live to be 100 years old and to be able to save $1 million dollars that she can donate to charity. She met her first goal and lived three months passed her 100th birthday. And she also met her second goal and accumulated an estate in excess of $1 million dollars.

Pride Foundation fundholders Carol Kerley and Linda Dunhams’ lives together began at a time when living openly as a lesbian couple was not an option. This would have put Carol’s job in jeopardy, and could have resulted in both of them being disowned by their families.

Kurt Mayer was born on January 14, 1930 in Nazi Germany. He was the only child to Joseph and Emmy Mayer. It was very difficult for Jews in Germany at that time. When Kurt was eight, his parents put him into a Jewish orphanage to keep him safe.

"The zoo has literally become my family, and it just keeps getting larger," says Cathy Breen, a beloved zoo docent whose contagious smile is felt across Woodland Park Zoo. She adds: "Without philanthropy, the zoo literally wouldn’t be where it is today."