Give Back, ‘Donate Life’

For the last five years, I have worn a bright green bracelet on my left wrist that reads, “Donate Life.” I have been asked many times where I got the bracelet, what it means, and why I wear it. I was handed the bracelet after (barely) completing a race in Richmond sponsored by Donate Life Virginia, an organization whose goal is to increase organ, eye and tissue donation in the state and throughout the country.

I have signed up to be an organ donor ever since. But, as important as organ donation is, it is not primarily why I wear the bracelet. I wear the bracelet because it sums up in two words what others have done for me in my 32 years, and what I, in return, aspire to do every single—not just on the last—day of my very fortunate life.

Philanthropy comes somewhat naturally to me since I grew up extremely rich, though without much money. As Duke alumnus and trustee David Rubenstein explained at the recent “The Duke Idea” talk in Washington, D.C., philanthropy literally means “love of mankind” and extends far beyond the conventional notion of donating money. Instead, it also encompasses the work of a person who donates his or her time, talent, skill, kindness and, indeed, life to others. By that measure, I have lived a life enriched by innumerable philanthropists who include my family, friends, mentors and even people who I have never met but whose waves of generosity have repeatedly reached the shores of my life.

Much of my inheritance can be traced directly to my late, spiritually wealthy maternal grandparents, Charles and Alcynthia Butler, whose unconditional love and eloquence of example form the foundation of the wealth that I aspire to give away each day. Another benefactor of particular note is my superhuman mom, Charlene Fairfax, who, in a then crime-ridden and drug-infested section of northeast Washington, D.C., raised four wonderful children, who include two federal prosecutors and Harvard and Columbia Law Review Editors, a brilliant flight systems engineer and an amazing labor and delivery nurse.

Through the years, the list of benefactors has grown to include my brilliant and beautiful wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, her family, our two young children and the many people who have donated their own lives to enrich mine in ways big, small and always significant. And, that list certainly includes Duke and its many supporters whose scholarships, financial aid and assistance, and personal support transformed my childhood career and life aspirations from the possible to the present.

I am certain that all of you reading this column, and particularly Duke students and members of the Duke community, have inherited your own personal fortune along the way from the life philanthropy of others. And, irrespective of the tough economic times in which we all currently live, you each have an extremely rich life that, like a massive amount of money, you won’t be able to spend all on yourself or take with you. So, I hope that you will take stock of that wealth and start giving it away to others in ways big and small—not next week, not tomorrow, but today and every day. I have found that donating life every day is, by far, the best and most enjoyable way to spend it.

Justin Fairfax, Trinity ’00, is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a former member of the Duke University Board of Trustees and a current member of the Board of Visitors of The Sanford School of Public Policy.