Homeless Man Leaves Behind $4 Million

There are homeless people. Then there are homeless people who leave behind $4 million to charity. Richard LeRoy Walters, a former engineer who gave up all his material possessions upon retirement, donated his estate to NPR, various charities, and a Catholic mission in Phoenix, where he befriended a nurse and spent much of his retirement at the mission's senior center. "He just gave up all of the material things that we think we have to have," says Rita Belle, his friend of 13 years and a nurse at the center.

When we think of poverty versus our own condition, we often justify our apathy by thinking how little impact our resources can have on the world. But maybe, just maybe, if it's not too late, couldn't we make a small difference in the lives of others?

Try donating online at some of these leading charities.
1. Coalition for the Homeless: Feeds over 1,000 people each night on the streets of NYC with your help.
2. Action Against Hunger: Secures food and water in over 40 countries through its Campaign to End Malnutrition.
3. Doctors Without Borders: Provides urgent medical care to hundreds of thousands of people in more than 70 countries around the world each year.

There are scores of other organizations doing good on behalf of the rest of us. Do you donate to charities online? Why or why not?















Homeless children practicing a dance routine in Dallas, Texas. (Source: LIFE Archives)