Sometimes your good works in this life are so consistent and well-known, that they live beyond your years. For some people, those works live on in a trust, a bequest, or a foundation. For some, it’s a business built from the ground up. For Beau Biden, that means having all your campaign funds funneled into a new charity.
The son of Vice President Joe Biden and an accomplished politician in his own right, Beau Biden had served two terms as Delaware’s Attorney General before cancer took him at the age of 46. Rumors had already placed him in the 2016 governor’s race, cancer or no cancer. His campaign continued to take in donations though he had not yet officially announced his candidacy. That’s how much donors in Delaware thought of Biden. They gave so he could consider running. They knew the sort of man he was, and they wanted that man as their governor.
Sadly, Biden passed away with much left undone in his life, many dreams yet unfulfilled. Even so, he managed to do a lot more than many in about half as many years. His own father spoke of Beau as a hero – a loving husband, dedicated father and accomplished businessman, the sort of person a father can easily be proud of. Many others felt the same way, apparently. To date, roughly $660,000 had been collected by two organizations supporting Biden’s unofficial gubernatorial campaign.
Now, CNN is reporting that many of those funds will be channeled into the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children. While the principals involved have not said how much, they still have some unfinished business on the political side, any amount at all is a testament to the strength of the memory of the man.
Hallie Biden, Beau’s widow, released a media statement about the bequest. “The campaign money will be used to continue the work Beau loved most — protecting children — and the natural place to do that is the foundation.”
In a situation fraught with sadness and difficult headlines, that is one that can give everyone a reason to smile when they remember a man who made serving others his legacy.
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