Above, philanthropist Doris Buffett, 'The Sunshine Lady,' with Sunshine Lady Foundation board member Diane Grimsley.
Click on graph below to see Nightline report
Nightline visited Germanna recently to capture the moment when philanthropist Doris Buffett surprised Aundrea Handy, who had been homeless before attending GCC's Middle College, which helps high school dropouts get their GEDs and prepares them for college.
Buffett also recently donated $150,000 to the GCC Educational Foundation's Germanna Guarantee Scholarship program and donated the profits from a booksigning at the Fredericksburg Campus to the Middle College.
At a November GCC Educational Foundation dinner, Ms. Buffett heard three Germanna students on scholarships speak and decided to get involved with GCC: “I thought, ‘These are exactly the people we want to help.' I have a high regard for what Germanna's doing. They're into the real world. They're helping people to a good life through a good education."
Carolyn Bynum, director of the Middle College at Germanna, wrote in a letter to Ms. Buffett:
"I can tell you that Aundrea is a remarkable young woman. I knew it from the first moment I met her. She was homeless but not discouraged; down but not out. She knew then and knows now that education is the key to a better life and she is taking on the challenge to ensure a better life for herself and her children. I have no doubt that your foundation made a wise choice in selecting her to benefit from your generosity.
"I would also like to thank you for donating the proceeds of the sales of your book at the recent event at Germanna. These funds will help more young people as they come through Middle College and strive to change their lives as well. I can truly say that working with this program and helping my students find their way to a better future has been the most rewarding experience I have ever had in my professional life. So I can appreciate the warm feeling you must get when you know you have helped so many that may not have otherwise made it through whatever trying situation they may encounter."
Doris Buffett is the big sister of Warren Buffett, one of the world's richest men. She has donated over $100 million of her own money, much of it to individuals like Aundrea after talking with them one on one. At 82, she says her goal in life is to give all of her fortune away to those in need and hopes that her last check bounces
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