Elvis Presley was known as a generous man, using his fame and wealth for the
good of others. But, that part of his nature was well expressed long before he
became a star. His family was far from wealthy, so all the little extras in life
such as toys for young Elvis, were not so easy for his parents Vernon and Gladys
Presley to come by. There were times when one of those toys would come up
missing. His parents would ask Elvis about it, finding that he had given it to
some other kid in the neighborhood whom he noticed had nothing to play with. His
later fame and wealth did not create his material and spiritual generosity. It
simply fueled what was there inside him all along.
Throughout his career, Elvis often performed benefit concerts in support of
various causes - storm victims in Mississippi, Memphis charities, the U.S.S.
Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, the Kui Lee Cancer Fund, just to name a few. He
personally donated to many charities, some at random, some on a continuing basis.
He also reached out to friends, family and total strangers on an individual
basis - paying hospital bills and providing financial assistance for the
necessities of life. Much of what he did was done quietly, without fanfare.
For many years around the holiday season Elvis made annual donations to fifty or
more Memphis-area charitable organizations. Here are some of them:
Abe Scharff YMCA, Arthritis Foundation, Ave Marie Guild Home for the Aged,
Baptist Children's Home, Beale Street Elk's Club, Boys Town of Memphis, Convent
of the Good Shepherd, Crippled Children's Hospital, Cynthia Milk Fund, Elvis
Presley Youth Center of Tupelo, Episcopal Home For Girls, Foundation for the
Junior Blind, Fraternal Order of Police, Girls Club of Memphis, Goodwill Home
for Children, Happy Acres, Home for Incurables, Jesse Mahan Center, Jewish
Community Center, John Tracy Clinic, Kennedy hospital, King's Daughter's Trinity
Circle, Lions Club, Mary Galloway Home, Memphis Epilepsy Foundation, Memphis
Hebrew Academy, Good Fellows, Mile - O - Dimes, Muscular Dystrophy, Orange Mound
Day Nursery, Porter-Leath Children's Home, Salvation Army, St. Joseph Indian
School, Variety Club of Memphis.
Elvis clearly believed in sharing his blessings with others. His choices were
diverse and showed no preference for age, race or creed. He saw only the need.
One of his great joys was to see the reaction of someone to whom he gave a
special, unexpected gift. To see the look of surprise and wonderment on the face
of a stranger when presented a wished-for Cadillac or Lincoln he or she might
never have been able to afford. When complimented on a piece of jewelry or an
item of clothing, turning around and giving the item to the person who admired
it.
The stories of Elvis' generosity, his outreach to others, are many. Just one of
the reasons that, twenty-five years after his death, Elvis Presley is still
remembered with love and respect.