The people interviewed in The Gift of All documentary talked about how they learned a sense of civic responsibility. Part of their civic responsibility is to tell their story, not because they want attention, but because they want to inspire others to give and be civically responsible. This generation has something to teach the next generations about community, giving, values, and compassion. If we don't learn from them, we have lost something. The value of civic responsibility reaches far beyond what we can see. Their legacy, or gift to future generations, has a far-reaching and lasting impact in the community.

Now it is our turn to tell stories of giving. The goal of this lesson is for each learner to write a story, a biography, about a local philanthropist. The story will tell about that person's connection to the community, their background, accomplishments, interesting stories, roots, family, goals, core values, significant life events, influences, career, and legacy. The stories will be shared with students at an elementary school to teach them about their community and inspire others to give. The story itself will be an act of philanthropy because it will be shared and make the community a better place as it honors civic virtue.

Use the handout Philanthropist Research and Rubric to guide the expectations of the project. The audience is elementary level students, so the final product will look like a picture book with readable text, images, and appropriate comprehension level for the age.

Beginning with the handout below: Interview Questions, talk about what to ask in an interview of their philanthropist and brainstorm additional questions. Learners who write about family members and other familiar people will conduct most of their research through interviews. Learners who write about well-known community philanthropists may conduct most of their research through the library.

Guide the learners to conduct research, set up interviews, write a rough draft, find images, revise and edit drafts, and make a final copy. This project may take several days. Provide materials as needed to help students publish their philanthropist biographies.

When their books are all edited and published, they prepare for their field trip to read to younger children. Remind the learners that their book is an act of philanthropy in two ways: in content (learning about philanthropy and a community philanthropist) and in sharing time and literacy skills with a younger student. Spend some time practicing reading aloud before you go.

They may prepare some questions to ask the students to help them engage in the reading. A question or statement before reading will help focus the students. Questions during reading will check for understanding. Questions after reading are to help the younger students connect the book to the concepts of community giving.

After the field trip, reflect on the entire project. What did they learn about their legacy of giving? What inspired them? What worked well in their presentation to the elementary students? What could they do differently next time? What do they plan to do next?