U.S. #3243
32¢ Giving and Sharing
Issue Date: October 7, 1998
City: Atlanta, GA
Quantity: 50,000,000
Printed By: Avery Dennison
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 11.1
Color: Multicolored
Enhancing the well-being of humans through community service or donations has long been an American tradition. Gifts from private donors have established churches, colleges, libraries, hospitals, and other worthy foundations. Today, Americans contribute more than $10 billion a year to public agencies.
Andrew Carnegie is recognized as one of America’s greatest philanthropists. His gifts and bequests exceed $350 million. Among the many institutions Carnegie made possible are the Endowment for International Peace, Carnegie Hall, and over 2,500 public libraries.
To ease his polio symptoms, President Franklin D. Roosevelt spent part of each year in Warm Springs, Ga., swimming in the mineral water there. In 1926, he bought the springs and surrounding land, and provided low-cost treatment to others who suffered from polio.
Other notable American philanthropists include the Rockefeller family, who have given over $1 billion to charities and foundations; Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, who donated $75 million to museums, hospitals, and other institutions; and Joseph Pulitzer, who besides donating millions to educational and civic organizations, created the awards for journalism, literature, music, and art which bear his name.