At the first selection meeting, an adviser read a letter from a nursing student balancing classes with evenings at a grocery store.

Her car had broken down, and she feared missing enough clinical hours to be removed from the program.

A small grant could cover reliable transportation for the term.

We approved it using the program’s normal criteria.

No photographs and no surprise visit from a donor.

Weeks later her coordinator reported she had finished the term.

That was enough news for me.

One evening I told Thomas about the fund.