Cornerstone Society Spotlight: Tom and Mary O’Neill

Mary and Tom O’Neill, both Minnesota natives and retired human resources professionals, met on Mary’s first day of work at the state employment office. They soon learned they had similar tastes in food and movies and that their shared Catholic faith found expression in a common generosity of spirit.

“Mother Teresa has always been a role model for me: ‘Do small things with great love,’” Mary says, citing Mother Teresa’s call to everyday acts of joy and kindness.

She and Tom — and their children, as they grew up — spent many years volunteering with their church at a local homeless shelter and at a Twin Cities soup kitchen. “Now that we’re older, we can’t physically volunteer as much as in the past,” Mary says, “but our desire to be of service to others has never diminished. We help where we can and have chosen to put our money where our feet and hands can no longer go.”

Choosing Covenant House

The couple first heard of Covenant House through a mailing they received from then President and CEO Kevin Ryan. They immediately felt moved to support the young people in our care to overcome homelessness and trafficking.

Already retired at that time, Mary and Tom had decided to shift the money they no longer used for work purposes and move it to charitable causes. “Covenant House was one of the charities that rose to the top,” Tom says.

“We’ve always been careful with money,” he adds. “We still don’t have cable TV, and our primary car is a 3-cylinder Chevy Trax.” But Covenant House, with the high-quality programs and services we offer in housing, food, medical and mental health care, educational support, and career development, was worth the investment, he and Mary felt. “Covenant House is a great deal for the donation we make,” Tom adds.

Mary and Tom were not bothered by the fact that Covenant House has no direct presence in Minnesota. “I simply think of my grandchildren and am so grateful they have never experienced homelessness or human trafficking,” Mary says. “I want to ensure that children who have faced these horrible situations have a place of peace and rest and, hopefully, can be restored to become thriving and productive adults in the future.”

Estate Planning

Mary and Tom ultimately decided to include Covenant House in their estate plans and became members of our Kevin and Clare Ryan Cornerstone Society. Their daughter works in the medical field and is financially comfortable, they say, and their son died 15 years ago. After his passing, Tom says, “We realized our need to provide for our children wasn’t so important anymore and it would be better for the majority of our estate to go to charity.”

They talked about their decision with their daughter, and she assured her parents that she respected their wishes. They will divide their estate among 10 charitable organizations, with their daughter receiving an equal part. The 10 organizations will be chosen from among 30 the couple has been supporting for years with annual donations, including Covenant House.

“Knowing all the difficulties facing young people today and knowing what Covenant House does to help the most vulnerable, how could anyone not support the work of Covenant House?” Mary asks. “We know we made the right decision when we decided to make our first annual gift to Covenant House as well as when we made our most recent one.”