Very few knew that Helen Banas was wealthy or that she was planning on donating her entire estate to the Alzheimer’s Association. Helen, a resident of Laguna Woods wanted to do something real special for the association…a surprise $27 million gift! Helen’s connection to the association was through her mother who battled the disease until her passing 20 years ago. Helen was her mother’s sole caretaker.
Helen kept a private and frugal life. When she passed away a few days ago at the age of 95, she left her entire estate to the Alzheimer’s Association. This came as a complete surprise to most. She didn’t flaunt her money, she lived in a small townhouse, had very few belongings, and took the bus everywhere.
“She always said that this (current) generation was wasteful,” longtime friend Lydia Rojas said.
The Alzheimer’s Association called the $27 million gift “transformative”. They normally have an annual budget of $3.8 million. The donation will help them double their outreach and help roughly 72,000 individuals with Alzheimer’s.
And that’s what’s good,
Jon
The Good World News