Along with her most recent donation to Mary’s Pence, Nancy Johnson noted that she was motivated to give because of her personal belief in helping women…and to honor her dad.
Nancy’s dad, Nicholas, has been a Mary’s Pence donor for more than 24 years. According to Nancy, it’s just one of the many things her 97-year-old father does as part of his personal commitment to ensuring justice for all.
As one of Nicholas’ 14 children raised in a Catholic family, Nancy says her dad impressed upon her and her siblings a deep sense of both charity and mutual aid . “My dad has always befriended people that nobody else wanted to befriend. And he drilled into our heads that everyone needs to be treated the same; you can’t just pick and choose,” she said.
“He’s always been very progressive — taking us to peace rallies and things,” Nancy recalls about her dad. “His favorite topics are justice and women and social justice and religion and politics. We talk about them all every time I visit him.”
It was Nicholas’ sister–a woman religious at the time — who first told him and his late wife about Mary’s Pence. And it was the work of Mary’s Pence to respond to injustices in the lives of women that peaked Nicholas’ interest. He firmly agreed that women’s lack of access to funding prohibited them from actively seeking dignity, justice and solidarity for all.
And now more than 2 decades later, Nicholas’ lifelong commitment to justice lives on–not only through his work as a champion for justice, but the legacy he leaves in his children. Because of Nicholas’ philanthropic example, Nancy said she and her siblings also choose to support organizations like Mary’s Pence.
Like her dad, Nancy donates to Mary’s Pence because she wants to empower women working for justice. Whether it’s ensuring that women receive fair wages for their work or are demanding legal reform around domestic violence issues, Nancy believes it’s important to contribute to organizations that are focused on helping women.
As a dynamic father-daughter duo, it’s no surprise that they share the same desire to contribute to the common good. It’s really that simple, Nancy said. “That is why we donate to Mary’s Pence.”
For more information about all the different ways you can help women working for justice, visit our Take Action page.