A Reality Check – What These Charities REALLY Mean

I received word that the namesake of one of the charities I selected to benefit should I win the Next Internet Millionaire reality show passed away on Wednesday night.

Neil Shultz suffered from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) for just over a year and a half. He and his family founded the Neil Schultz Gift of Hope Fund to help other people suffering from ALS afford the expensive care and equipment that allows them to lead as normal of a life as possible.

While I have never personally met Neil, everyone I talked to as I evaluated his charity for inclusion commented on what a remarkable young man he was. Despite his health challenges, he was determined to live life.

Neil worked in the Bryan LGH information technology department keeping people’s computer systems running properly in the hospital. When he found out that I was including his charity in my list, he and his family recruited thousands of votes for my first audition video, catapulting it to #3 in the overall rankings – above more than 300 other videos.

Everyone wonders what kind of a mark they will leave on the world when their time here is done. While Neil left us much too soon, he managed to touch the hearts and lives of so many people around him.

And because his charity lives on, he will continue to touch the lives of people in the future as his fund helps support those who will be faced with similar challenges.

These are the moments I find myself wondering what kind of mark I am leaving on the world and those around me. It’s an interesting thing to think about.

People like Neil are an inspiration to me and I can only hope that one day when my time comes I will leave a legacy of hope and inspiration behind, just like Neil.