Who is David Allen? | 3rd Level Wealth
Who is David Allen? And why does he have an incredible baseball field named after him in Enid, Oklahoma?
I first visited that baseball field twenty something years ago. It was unbelievable (and still is). I wondered what was the story behind David Allen and where did the money come from to build this stadium?
It turns out David was the son of Paul and Joan Allen. A family who started and owned a successful business in northern Oklahoma. Mr. and Mrs. Allen had a strong faith in God and a desire to give back to their local community. So when their son David passed away at the age of 35, they stepped forward a few years later when the city began looking at plans to build a baseball field.
I love stories like this. Wealthy business owners who give back to improve their local community. They grow up from humble beginnings, create successful businesses and give back so many more can enjoy it in the community. I think it is the ultimate calling in life and a great act of being unselfish while also being successful.
But I also often wondered if it’s just the wealthy, successful business owners who can give back and make this type of difference?
And thankfully I’ve found the answer to that question to be a resounding “no”.
A few years ago I bought a term life insurance policy and wrote a letter of instruction to my family with what to do in case I passed away. One of those things I asked them to do was set aside 40% of the policy at the time of death into an investment account. Once that account doubled four times (I was hoping it would take 30-40 years to do this) I then gave instructions on how to give the money away to the local community.
So with a little planning, a little time and a little forethought the community would benefit from a very substantial gift. The cost was minimal and I had to trust my family to execute it in case something were to happen but the impact was worth the tradeoff for me.
I think the moral of this story is that it doesn’t have to be a life insurance policy that makes a difference. Or a successful business. Or a tragedy that turns into something beautiful for everyone.
It takes an idea.
And instead of saying “I can’t do that”, we should be asking ourselves “how can I do that?”
3rd Level Wealth
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