In lieu of wedding gifts, Edgewood newlyweds request donations for Be Concerned
When God gives you a gift, it seems only fitting to return that goodness with an appropriate gift of your own.
Bill Banks and Frances Kroboth had dated each other in their teen years, but somehow the pressure of education and life goals separated them at the time. So they went their separate ways and traveled different paths for more than 20 years.
In July, though, their lives reconnected and they married in the presence of their parents, siblings, and best friends.
“We know that God had a hand in our rediscovering our love for one another,” Frances said. “We are both people of strong faith, and we knew God was available to help us renew this relationship and grow this gift we had been given.”
So when it came time to plan their wedding, both came to the realization that “things” were not what they needed. Both Bill and Frances have good jobs, and they were combining two households. Thus, asking people to bring gifts to help them celebrate seemed somewhat superfluous.
But they also recognized that their friends and relatives wanted to do something to add to the joy of this occasion. So when they saw a recent article in The Enquirer of a couple who had requested donations to their favorite charity in lieu of tangible gifts, they knew this was the path they wished to take.
Bill's mom, Pauline Baumann, is a volunteer and board member of Be Concerned and had spoken of her high regard for the work done there for those in need.
Frances said, "It is the ‘dignity’ concept that convinced us to request donations to Be Concerned as appropriate wedding gifts.
“We appreciate so much that people are given a choice and not a hand-out at the agency. Both of us have been blessed so much in life with both material things and good families that we felt this was the right way to go with our gifts."
And so, we see that God has rained His goodness on these two and they, in turn, have returned the generosity by gifts to Be Concerned that will benefit others.