By DePaul Catholic School Healthy Trailblazer Journal reporters | Kids can be philanthropists, too. All it takes is “someone who is willing to do for others, to care for others, to put others before themselves,” said Dr. Keith Leaphart, who has served as a board member of several organizations that donate money to groups that help others.

He said philanthropy is a big word with a simple meaning: Love of mankind. It can involve donating money to others, he says, but it doesn’t have to.

“Becoming a philanthropist is very easy,” Dr. Leaphart told the Healthy Trailblazer Journal recently. “We’re all philanthropists in our own right. If you’ve ever given to an organization or helped someone or stood up to bullying or given sympathy to somebody suffering, you are showing that you’re a philanthropist.

“We can all volunteer and do something, whether it’s coaching someone or tutoring someone. It’s our talent. It’s sharing our treasure.”

Today, Dr. Leaphart is an example of his own advice. He is a medical doctor and business owner. He is also enterprise executive vice president of Jefferson, which includes Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Health, and Jefferson Health Plans. His job involves helping people in the area get medical care and other services they need for a healthy life, such as food and housing.

Dr. Leaphart’s advice to kids is to “start small but think big. When others don’t believe in you, you have to believe in yourself, that you can do it. With self-determination, self-confidence, and grit, when challenges happen, you can achieve.”