An Arizona man shelled out $2 million to help open a school for children in foster care, making it the second time he has donated a large sum of money to benefit kids in the foster care system.
The man, Randy Hansen, started his giving spree last year when he donated $1 million to three women he hardly knew. All three women were foster moms who fought to change lives and change laws so that people within the state’s welfare system could be held accountable.
That was about a year ago. In the months since Randy first met these foster moms, they have spent time volunteering together, and Randy even flew them out to meet his like-minded mother in Utah.
The initial $1 million gift from Randy and his wife, Leslie, went towards the mortgage for Jacob’s Community Center, a building used to support children in foster families.
But the three moms had to raise more money to keep the community center operational, so they held online fundraisers, auctions, banquets, and solicited tax donations.
The hardest part about the situation was keeping their promise to offer services to foster families even though the center was not even open yet.
In 2019, Jacob’s Mission served 1,365 foster children and 1,214 families, the Arizona Republic reported.
It was at that point that Randy came up with another idea to build a school in the empty lot behind the community center specifically tailored for foster children.
When Randy presented the women with the $2 million check, they were astonished.
“I still can’t believe it,” Angela Teachout says. “Two-million dollars!”
But for Randy, his donation just meant there was more work to be done to help families in need.
“We got more to do,” Randy said with a big smile.