Giving Time as Well as Money

Greg Brownless has been practicing generosity all his life in small ways. His earliest memory of giving is to the RSA poppy sellers on the street when he was a child. He remembers thinking then, there are less fortunate people than me that need a hand.

Greg now owns his own small business. He is a funeral director in the Bay of Plenty and feels he is in the position to extend that helping hand.

"I am not a huge wealthy benefactor, things come across my desk as I am sure they do for most small business owners. I can't give to them all, but when I think it will make a difference to someone's life I like to help out where possible". He sticks mainly to his passions - the arts, drama and education.

Greg is also generous with his time. After watching the devastation that was the Boxing Day Tsunami. Greg packed his bag and flew to Phuket.

He spent the best part of several weeks assisting with the large number of deceased and their identification. "I knew I could cope psychologically with the bodies, whereas others may not." He was not there long but it had a big effect on him. "I realised there is more to life than being in business. It taught me that you can do lots of little things and make a difference."

Greg also freely spends time entertaining and speaking to various community and elderly groups around the Bay of Plenty. He plays the accordion and talks on a variety of subjects from information about funerals to life as a tour guide (he used to be one) around Europe.

Greg doesn't have any family so he intends that his legacy will live on through the Acorn Foundation. This is a charitable trust for Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty residents. It encourages people to establish their own named endowment fund. It lets you support a charity that has special significance to you, or you can leave it to the discretion of the foundation to allocate funds to local causes.

"There is an old cliche: it is better to give than to receive. It is true. Giving is reward in itself. But you don't give $100 to get $150. The reward is that you have helped someone achieve or accomplish something that they might not have otherwise been able to. Truly rewarding."