green-background

Gone, but still giving: A tribute to the Meehans

Patrick Meehan';s parents never had much extra money when he was growing up, but they always found a way to give to charitable organizations. When they passed away, Patrick decided to continue their legacy of giving.

Posted On 06/17/2021 | 4 min read

Man and woman stand in front of a mantle with Christmas stockings, smiling at the camera.
The late Frank and Tish Meehan smile for a Christmas photo. Their son, Patrick, has carried on their legacy of love by making a $75,000 gift to ChildFund to honor his parents after their passing.

 

When Patrick Meehan was growing up, his parents, Frank and Tish, lived paycheck to paycheck. They couldn’t afford extras like fancy dinners out, family vacations or college tuition for their children. Even so, Patrick felt that his family was rich.
 
“Raising six kids in Huntington Long Island, New York, is not an easy endeavor and will set you back a couple of bucks,” says Patrick. “But somehow, they always found a way to donate to charities. It wasn’t much, simply because they didn’t have much to give. But they still managed to donate something, with the theory that ‘every little bit helps.’”
 

Through grief, generosity

 
The Meehans continued their habit of charitable giving long after their children were grown, up until Frank passed away in 2005. Later, in 2018, Tish also passed away, leaving the grieving family with a few details to sort out. Patrick and his brother had received a small inheritance: some savings, and the family home.
 
Patrick’s brother had the idea of giving his share of the inheritance to charity, which made Patrick think carefully about what he wanted to do with his share. Finally, he decided to invest it, with the intention of giving away all the profits every year to charity. He then planned to put the remainder of the funds in his will so that one of his nephews could continue the legacy of giving.
 
“My thinking behind this idea was twofold,” Patrick says. “First of all, thanks be to God, I don’t need the money. And second, it was not my money to begin with, but my parents’.
 
“I thought how nice it was that my parents found a way to give to charity while they were here on this earth and would, in essence, continue to do so for many decades after they were gone.”
 

Being 'the safety net'

 
Then, in March 2020, the COVID-19 crisis took hold around the world.
 
One day while in quarantine, surfing the web, Patrick came across an article from the United Nations detailing the debilitating hunger and poverty that lockdowns were causing globally. According to the article, 9 million more people were expected to die within the year from hunger and hunger-related conditions, all because of the pandemic. “It made me rethink my parents’ legacy,” Patrick says. “I wrestled a bit about what to do.”
 
Finally, he came to the conclusion that the need was too urgent to look away. He decided to donate all of the inheritance to charities right then – including a $75,000 donation to ChildFund’s global COVID-19 response.
 
“I know people are hurting in this country, but at least we have some safety nets in place to help the disadvantaged,” Patrick says. “That is not necessarily the case in other countries around the world, and I wanted to help be that safety net for them. I chose to donate to ChildFund because I know it to be a charity where the majority of donations go directly to programs and thereby impact the greatest number of people in need.
 
“But this gift really comes from my beloved parents,” Patrick continues. “Though they are gone from this earth now, they are missed, they are loved, and they continue to give.”