I Have Fun Giving

“I love playing with Joshua Station,” says Christine Plentyhoops. It’s an odd way to talk about donating and volunteering, and she peppers her story with delighted laughter.

As Regional Vice President of Primerica and an investment advisor, Christine was meeting with a client some years ago. Inspired and intrigued by her client’s financial priorities of generosity and service, Christine turned the tables and asked for advice about where to get involved. Her client served on the MHM board, and soon Christine was touring Joshua Station. She “fell in love.”

The love story begins much earlier, however. Christine grew up struggling with poverty, and as a young woman found herself in a devastating situation married to a relapsed addict—culminating in divorce. Injured in an accident, she was only able to work part time. After an eviction she was homeless, and her car was repossessed. “The families at Joshua Station… they are me,” she says.

Christine’s “play” at Joshua Station took the form of teaching financial classes for residents, which were so effective that they are now a mandatory part of the program. “Anything ‘mandatory’ is not an easy sell up front,” Christine observes. “I level the playing field by telling them I know it’s hard to spend time away from families for the class—for me and them both! I show up in ordinary clothes and share my story of devastated self-worth and a credit score of 437. ‘Where you are now is just a circumstance, not a life sentence,’ I say. I love to laugh with that group.”

Christine’s husband Brian can relate too; he grew up in poverty, living on an Indian reservation and later in San Francisco. “Brian and I have fun giving,” Christine says, “with our dollars and time.” In their monthly checks or in the financial class at Joshua Station, it definitely shows.