Anonymous donor sends millions for community
New York - For the inhabitants of a small town nestled on Lake Erie in the north-eastern United States, Christmas has come unexpectedly early in the form of a $100-million gift from an anonymous donor.
A benefactor identified only as "anonymous friend" made the donation to a group of charitable and non-profit causes in the town of Erie, Pennsylvania, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The donor reportedly put no restrictions on how the money should be spent, but the town's community foundation had decided to give between one and two million dollars to a host of local good causes.
The head of the town's community foundation, Mike Batchelor, told the Tribune-Review he was sworn to secrecy over the donor's identity, refusing to say even whether the anonymous benefactor was still alive.
But according to the report, local beneficiaries including a food bank for the homeless, a women's centre and a group caring for the blind are more than happy to respect the donor's wish to remain anonymous.