Dave and Tami Piper from Midale recently received the Outstanding Philanthropist Award for supporting various charities over the past 15 years.  

Dave Piper says that when they started this, they didn’t think about getting an award at all. 

“It was just something that was brought to our attention that we could receive if we wanted to, and we thought about that for quite a bit of time, and just decided if there's some benefit to these charities and these people that are putting this on, we'll do what we think we can do to help them.” 

He says charities have been struggling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.   

“People are having a difficult time with jobs, with businesses, individual families and certainly one of the groups that are really suffering from all of this has been charities. The funds for countless charities have dried up.” 

Piper says he feels like philanthropy is just a fancy word for caring and sharing.  

“I think we just need to go out and find a bunch of mini philanthropists. If money is always the big worry, there are lots of things that you can do, and certainly any dollar amount you give is very much needed and appreciated, but your time and empathy for other people is just as important.” 

He talks about how people can be mini philanthropists in their everyday lives. 

“I think you just need some empathy for people. The world is such a mixed-up place right now with so much stuff going on, but if you just care enough about people, you'll come up with some way to help a little bit.  You don't need a lot of money, you give what you can, you continue to volunteer, get the word out, your time is as valuable as much.” 

He hopes that by winning this award and by getting the word out, it helps people get back in the habit of thinking about and supporting charitable organizations again.