The deed is everything, the glory naught.   Goethe

And so it is with Coralyn Whitney, philanthropist, who was presented the 2011 Heart Award at an October luncheon with our founder Janet L. Trinkaus.

Quietly and without fuss, at the end of every summer,  Coralyn and her husband Dwight Gadd shop and fill well over 100 backpacks with school supplies for all of the Rise n’ Shine school-age children.   That is a lot of shopping!   At Christmastime they give some more, usually buying toys and clothes for a large family.    But it doesn’t stop there.  If Rise n’ Shine were to compile a list of our most generous planned giving and financial donors, Coralyn would be on the top.

We asked Coralyn what motivates her long-term selfless commitment to Rise n’ Shine and what drives her choices of other organizations she supports.   She said, “Two things.  First, we want to help people who don’t have the resources to help themselves.  Rise n’ Shine is a priority for us.”  She also mentioned Union Gospel Mission and Meals on Wheels as needing support, especially during the holidays.

After retiring from academia as a researcher with a PhD in Biostatistics, Coralyn pursued her lifelong passion for gems and minerals.  To that end she earned her Graduate GIA Gemologist degree and her Accredited Jewelry Professional degree.  This turning point in her life leads to her second passion – “public spaces and education.”  Coralyn has an overwhelming desire “for the public to see what they otherwise would not be able to see and to learn by seeing.”   Based on this philosophy Coralyn donated a prized and exotic  17.08 carat alexandrite gem to the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.,  named the Whitney Alexandrite.

We appreciate Coralyn and Dwight for they have found how to serve their local community and the greater community as well.  They have found what speaks to their heart.  Thank you, Coralyn and Dwight.   We are proud and honored to have you as part of our Rise n’ Shine family.