Heroes of the Recession

Rising to the Financial Challenge of the Times

By Deborah Price

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. “-Joseph Campbell

Just over a year ago, our lives were jolted as if from a deep sleep by an economic tsunami that we have come to know as “The Great Recession.” While few of us have remained untouched, many have been financially devastated; some lives have been utterly altered. Now, beyond the stories of Robber Baron's and corporate greed, a new story is emerging.

This is an inspiring story that embodies the great American spirit of tough-minded people with big hearts. In the face of great challenge and adversity, they have risen to the challenge and taken matters into their own hands.

Beliefnet spotlights 12 people who we view as heroes that are helping us to remember who we are and what we can do.

Read about the first hero of the recession.

Deborah Price in a money coach, founder of the Money Coaching Institute and writes Beliefnet’s Your Daily Spiritual Stimulus blog.

Marilyn Mock, “Foreclosure Angel”

When Marilyn Mock of Rockwall, Texas saw her neighbor, Tracy, was about to lose her home to auction and had no place to go, Marilyn bought her house at the auction and sold it back to Traci at a lower price. Marilyn said she knew that what happened to Tracy just as easily could've happened to her.

That day was the beginning of Marilyn Mock's life as “the Foreclosure Angel.” Since then Marilyn has been on a mission to help other beleaguered homeowners and created the Foreclosure Angel Foundation, which now helps other families in danger of losing their home.

The Foreclosure Angel Foundation helps people in financial distress in a number of ways: Pays overdue property taxes; provides deposits for people who have to move, but don't have the funds or the credit; helps people catch up on their payments; and offers small mortgages to those who wouldn't otherwise qualify. Mock’s foundation even offers temporary assistance to those who've experienced a death or illness that created a momentary financial crisis. Marilyn Mock is not rich financially but she is certainly rich in spirit. She's just a woman of purpose and heart who took on the mission of helping fellow Americans keep their homes.

Dr. Paul Levy - “CEO Hero”

When Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center began to experience the financial strain of the recession, Paul Levy, President and CEO, was hard pressed to find a way to keep from laying off some of his employees. He was especially concerned about his lower wage earners who he knew often struggled financially and held a job or two on the side just to make ends meet. He knew that losing their jobs at Beth Israel would create certain hardship.

Levy knew he had to find a solution and took a risk. He called a company meeting and took his concerns of cutbacks to his employees and asked them to consider both pay and benefit cuts in order to prevent laying off anyone. Before he could finish what he was saying his employees stood up and began to applaud--loudly. Levy was moved to tears. His employees gave him a resounding yes! They too were willing to do what they could to keep their fellow workers from joining the unemployment line.

He then asked his staff for their suggestions on how to cut costs and save jobs and within 24 hours he had hundreds of responses. Due to Levy's leadership and creative job-saving idea, everyone pitched in, took cuts in both pay and benefits to save their fellow employees. Thanks to Paul Levy and his united staff of 8,000, there will be no pink slips at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Paul Levy shows us the how the leadership of one, can make heroes of many.

Leonard Abess, Jr., “Banker with a Heart”

President and CEO Leonard Abess, Jr. had a major stake in Miami-based City National Bancshares, which was founded many years ago by his father. Last November, he made an unprecedented move and cashed his shares in and handed all $60 million of the proceeds to his employees -- from bank tellers to janitors. All 399 employees of his company received generous bonuses. He even managed to track down 72 former employees in order to share the proceeds with them, too.

Leonard's father had a strong work ethic and didn't believe in giving his son a free ride, so Leonard Jr. began working for City National at the young age of 14--in the printing department. Many of Abess's employees have been with the company for 30 years or more and the bank has been very much like a family to him. Abess said his bank was successful because of his employees and that they deserved to be rewarded for their hard work, too. When asked about his decision to give this money to his employees, Abess said, “I'd prefer to live in a world where this is ordinary.” Spoken like a true hero.

Suezette Steinhardt, “Affordable Housing Angel”

While working for a transitional housing organization in 2004, Suezette Steinhardt realized that the need for affordable housing was greater than the supply and that before long many more families would be homeless. In order to prevent more families from becoming homeless she took matters into her own hands and started Family Preservation and Strengthening Services, or Family PASS, to provide affordable housing and support services to low-income families.

Suezette's mission is to keep families in her community out of shelters and help them to become self-sufficient. Many of her clients are single mothers struggling to financially survive. Suezette knew the key to helping these families in financial hardship who've needed transitional housing was to help them find affordable, permanent housing. She helps families who would otherwise be homeless find a home of their own.

Ann Mahlum, “Hero in Running Shoes”

Ann Mahlum grew up with a father who had drug and alcohol issues and experienced firsthand the pain of addiction. It destroyed her family. Given her background, one would not expect her to have so much compassion for homeless addicts.

Quite the contrary. Ann is no ordinary young woman. She's a fighter and a runner who started running in a tough Philadelphia neighborhood filled with homeless and addicts. And one day, this blonde-haired petite young woman stopped and asked them to join her. Today Ann, 28, has her own non-profit organization, Back on My Feet, and runs daily with a group of homeless people who are committed to getting back on their feet--and in shape. So far she has raised over 1.5 million dollars for three homeless shelters with 180 residents.

Ann began running long ago to help her work through the issues she had with her father and it changed her life. Now she uses running as a vehicle to help the homeless gain confidence and begin to believe in themselves again. Today, in addition to daily running, Back on My Feet offers team support and encouragement to homeless, so they don't have to go it alone. They have three teams from three Philadelphia shelters with over 250 volunteers. These teams have run over 5,000 miles. Ann Mahlum is helping people run for their life and stay clean and sober.

Danny Cottrell, "Recession Angel"

Danny Cottrell, the owner of a Brewton, Alabama pharmacy, started a movement that really made a difference. Wanting to do something to support his community that has been hit hard by the recession, Danny divided $16,000 amongst his 24 employees ($700 for each full-time employee and $300 for each part-time employee) in two dollar bills and gave them a mission: Give 15% to a charity or someone that needs it more than you do and spend the rest by shopping locally to support your community.

This simple "pay it forward" act of generosity not only powerfully impacted the lives of his employees and their community, but also inspired many others to follow his lead. Now his inspired movement, the "People's Stimulus Package" has encouraged many business owners across the nation to make a difference in their own communities in these financially challenging times.

As of my last look at the "People's Stimulus" website, which tracks the story and participants nationwide, nearly $100,000 has been contributed by over 40 different businesses to help their employees and stimulate their local economies. Cottrell's movement demonstrates what is possible when we are willing to be expansive rather than contracted and shows us how generosity breeds more generosity and that we can make a difference--$2 at a time.

John Connors III, “Small Can Be Big Hero”

Waltham-based ad agency owner, John Connors had an idea to use the internet to identify families on the brink on homelessness and try to raise money to keep them off the streets. This idea was inspired by the story of Judy Beckler of Saint Mary's Women and Children's Center in Dorchester , who was facing mounting eviction issues. He realized with so many people living paycheck to paycheck and on the edge, it does not take much to push people over that edge and into homelessness.

This was the beginning of Small Can Be Big, a non-profit that uses the internet to "connect people with a little extra to families without enough." They also work with 10 local community-based organizations to identify local at risk of losing their home or housing due to financial crisis. As families are identified, they're featured on the website and people can go directly online and donate a gift to a family of their choice. The money is then channeled to the local community organization and given directly to the family in need immediately.

“Small Can Be Big” launched on January 14, 2009. Within three weeks they had raised $15,000 and had kept ten families from becoming homeless. They were working toward helping 100 more by the end of 2009. Donations have ranged from $1 to $100 but executive director Amanda Zarle says “the whole point is that small sums add up quickly.” This is especially true today when all it takes is an unexpected expense or illness for a family to suddenly not have enough to get by. By thinking big, John Connors showed us how every little bit helps for those in need.

Kara Severson, "Hero to Homeless Dogs"

These days people are not the only ones losing their homes. The recession is also taking its toll on our canine friends. According to studies, there has been a sharp rise in homeless dogs who've been downsized out of families who can no longer afford to feed them or who have lost their homes.

Kara Severson of Chicago knows firsthand how tough it can be to lose your home and have animals with no place to go. Fortunately, when she lost her home in California, Kara was able to move back home with her mother in Chicago, her beloved dog and two cats in tow.

But not everyone is quite so lucky. Many families are having to take their dogs to shelters in hopes of reuniting when they're back on their feet. That's why Kara has been logging so many hours as a volunteer at PAWS, a “no-kill” shelter for dogs in Chicago where she walks other people's dogs who no longer have a home. Says Kara, “As I walk these temporarily homeless dogs, my eyes fill with tears for the dog who's suddenly living in a cage and doesn't know what he did.” While everyone would love to see these animals return to their homes some day, her devotion to these furry friends let’s them know there is kindness in the world.

Rob Katz, “Hero on Skis”

At a time when corporate greed seems to have hit an all time high it is refreshing to see a CEO with a heart of gold. That would be the case of Robert A. Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts in Colorado, who was simply unable to justify his hefty salary in the face of the adversity of others. That's why when his company was getting hit by the economy and he needed to make tough choices, he started with himself and gave up his own $835,000 salary for the year. Then he asked his 2500 employees if they would voluntarily agree to a pay cut to save jobs--they did.

Katz expects his plan to save over $10 million and save people from losing their jobs in a town hit hard by the recession. When asked about his decision to cut his own salary, Katz said, “I’m making changes, but you can’t compare the challenges I go through to some of our folks,” he explains. “I’ve saved money because I’ve made more over my time. They need to find a way to put food on the table.” Katz puts the C in CEO--compassionate leadership.

Jorge Munoz, “Angel of Queens”

At 9:30 pm every night in Queens, New York, the “chicken and rice man” arrives to serve meals to hungry men, fellow immigrants, who might otherwise go hungry.

A man with a big heart, Jorge's Munoz drives a school bus by day and spends part of his paycheck on his very own “meals on wheels” program by night. Jorge's mission to help feed the needy began three years ago and with the help of this mother Doris Zapata, they have grown to delivering daily free meals to the needy. With Jorge's earnings and restaurant leftovers that others give to him, his mother works beside him to prepare a meaningful meal to all who show up.

Many of the people he feeds are unemployed or day laborers who have little help or work available. Many of these men went for days without food before Jorge came along in his white van. They now not only look forward to his meals but also his kindness and compassion that feeds and nourishes their spirit as well. Jorge now runs his operation as a non-profit and estimates he has served over 70,000 meals so far. This is one angel that's earned his wings.

Ed Peirce, "Heart-Working Landlord"

When landlord Ed Peirce had two tenants lose their jobs and couldn't pay their rent, he didn't worry about how to evict them. They were families with children and good tenants who just fell upon hard times in during the recession.

He followed a path of faith and love. And when his tenants couldn't pay the rent or find a new job, Ed Peirce sat down and prayed with them for better times. Then, he went back to work at Walgreen's so that he could afford to pay their rent for them.

Ed Pierce is no ordinary man. He's a man who looks first into his heart and finds a way to do what he can for whom he can. That's why we've selected Ed Pierce as one of our 2009 Financial Heroes of the Recession.

Zach Bonner, “Pint-Sized Philanthropist”

At the ripe old age of 12, Zach Bonner is perhaps one of the youngest philanthropists in the country. His cause.is homeless children. Moved by the millions of children without proper food or shelter, Zach set off on a mission to help raise money and awareness to support the over one million homeless children in America.

Zach has been helping others in one way or another since he was 6 and now runs his own non-profit, the Little Red Wagon Foundation. He has personally logged over 1,200 miles in his efforts to help raise awareness and money. This year he walked for 59 days, and nearly 700 miles from Georgia to Washington D.C. To meet with Senators on Capitol Hill. That same night he slept in a local emergency homeless shelter.

He was recently voted Beliefnet’s Most Inspiring Person of 2009 . Next year, this remarkable young humanitarian plans a cross-country trek from Tampa to Los Angeles.