It’s Never Too Late To Start Something Good
Give in to your impulse. Do good. Feel good.
So many of us want to “do good” but we put it off because we’re too busy, we’re not ready, it’s not the right time…then the years fly by and we get to the point when we give up on the idea altogether because it’s hard work, we don’t have the resources and that’s not what one does in the “golden years” is it?
Juthica and Peter Stangl did not follow that path. Both of them had busy, purpose-filled and successful lives, raised two children and still made time to give of themselves. Peter escaped from Hungary after the post WWII violent upheaval of the Hungarian revolution, made it to the US, went to Yale and became the Director of the Medical Library at Stanford. Juthica left India on a scholarship for graduate studies from the University of Toronto, met and married Peter and moved across to California with him. Both of them worked very hard in their jobs and at building a home and making life comfortable for themselves and their children. They loved books, music, cooking, travel and gathering with friends, so when it was time to retire it would have been unsurprising if they’d just kicked back, relaxed and spent most of their time on those pursuits that they loved, with some occasional volunteering and donating to nonprofits they cared about.
But Juthica had come to know about a sad, cruel situation that broke her heart. In Kolkata, India (formerly Calcutta, her birthplace), she learned that poor women, unwanted by their families, were often dumped in prisons where they were treated as “non-criminal lunatics”, and when released, had nowhere to go and no way to support themselves. She immediately decided to do what she can to to help these women learn a trade and have a chance to live a life with dignity. Juthica knew she couldn’t solve the problem for every wrongfully incarcerated woman, but she figured that she can make a huge difference even if it was just for a few. She connected with a local champion who was dedicated to this cause, and when back in California, she worked feverishly to send annual donations to help.
On retiring, Peter fully supported Juthica’s passionate determination and together they launched Shadhika (meaning “one with hope”) as a charitable foundation to raise funds to support this cause at a higher level and help more women. They visited Kolkata and on learning that a half-way home where these women could safely stay, learn skills and build confidence and independence was needed, they decided that raising funds for that home would be their goal.
Clearly, this was not going to give them a life of carefree retirement. Any nonprofit, even a small one, takes a lot of work, and in the early years it is a struggle to keep things going, especially if you have made a commitment to help people and they’re depending on you to come through. Most people in their 60s would be reluctant to start an enterprise, even if it is a social one, due to the sheer amount of dedication and work that would be required. Unless they have substantial funds that can be diverted to the cause and they could pay for help, it is a tough slog. Juthica and Peter were not quite at that level and knew that they themselves have to put in a lot of work to get family, friends, friends of friends, and the community at large to help them reach their goals.
That’s exactly what Juthica and Peter did. In the early years, Juthica would cook up a storm and invite their friends, who’d bring their friends, to munch on delectables and listen to the stories that moved them enough to make donations. It was a two-person show, with Juthica taking care of the heart and soul, and Peter the execution, of their mission, making it work with their sheer determination and commitment to the cause.
But Shdhika didn’t stay small. From Paripurnata, the half-way home for the previously incarcerated women, Shadhika expanded the scope of its help to other organizations that could thrive and grow their impact with some much needed “seed” funding. New Light, and it’s dynamic founder, Urmi Basu were working to provide a safe space where the young children of sex workers in the red light district of Kolkata were fed, sheltered, and given access to education and a better life path and the Stangls were strong, early supporters of Urmi’s vision. Shadhika’s initial support helped New Light prove themselves and attract more funding and now they are a well-established and much-honored organization. Another organization that also got a boost from Shadhika that helped it scale was Uddami, helping youth from slums in Kolkata get technical training and job placement.
Though they were not directly involved in providing service s— it made sense to support local grassroots efforts with local leaders — the Stangls not only had to work all year to raise money, but they also provided support to the organizations they supported in various ways to improve their operational efficiency and reporting to ensure that funds were properly utilized and donors were comfortable with their integrity.
As Shadhika’s impact grew bigger, the Stangls, aware that they couldn’t do it all by themselves, brought in more people as Board members and advisors to build a bigger fund and increase the scope of their impact. I was fortunate to meet Juthica at another community nonprofit that we both volunteered in, and was honored when she and Peter invited me to join their Board. I fully supported their mission and enjoyed helping grow the organization and be the President until I could pass on the torch to Peter and Juthica’s daughter-in-law, Kimberly Burnett. Kim was responsible for establishing Shadhika as a large and well-supported organization supporting girls’ education, development and rights in India before she moved on to other ventures and Shadhika continues to thrive in its mission.
Peter and Juthica Stangl started with a small foundation that now has a huge impact. I feel so lucky to have been involved with them in Shadhika as they have taught me so many important lessons in fulfilling my own desire to make a difference and live a meaningful life with my own education nonprofit.
- Focus on the goal, not the constraints.
- Ask for help without hesitation.
- Age is not a barrier to doing what is important to you.
- Lead with your heart and your head.
- Enjoyment of doing good outweighs the effort.
One of the most critical values I got from them was it doesn’t matter if what you do is not earth-shaking or famous, as long as someone finds their lives a little better because of what you do. This is helpful for anyone who is diffident about their own capacity to launch an initiative to make impact.
Though they are now older and Shadhika emeriti, Juthica and Peter haven’t stopped helping others. They have narrowed their field of influence to the continuing care community they now reside in, and are actively supporting the community in every way possible, from helping organize opportunities for improved health and well-being to sitting by the bedside of ill friends. Regardless of their age or its attendant ailments, helping others is just the way they live, and they genuinely enjoy their lives. I’m fortunate to have them in my life and to be able to share their “feeling good by doing good” approach with a larger audience and expanding the ripple effect.
In a previous post about Chadwick Boseman I’d written about how he’s a role model to everyone in the “use of his years” (sadly limited) to make meaningful impact, and had listed Peter and Juthica as an example of two who didn’t let obstacles like age prevent them from starting Shadhika. Do you have an idea and the desire to do something good? Take a chance, focus on the opportunities, not the obstacles, and just get started. You might find it most rewarding and fulfilling — any time is the right time to do good!
