All we have and all that we are is a gift from God – our time, our talent, our treasure. We show our gratitude for these gifts by returning a portion of them back to God.
DONOR ADVISED FUNDS: We are grateful for recommendations for grants from your Donor Advised Funds. The Diocese of San Jose requests that you send grants to our U.S. Mail address, below, rather than to their Chancery.
Questions? Please email M’Lis Berry at meberry@stanford.edu
Brandon Benson, PhD ’23, Applied Physics
Former President, Stanford Graduate Catholic Student Association
Throughout my time at Stanford, I made consistent contributions to CC@S. This commitment was rooted in my desire to be a “good Christian”. I knew that scripture talked about giving 10% of my income to the Church, so that is what I decided to do. But I’ve learned that giving means so much more than being a “good Christian”, it means freedom from financial anxiety.
For instance, I remember my experience investing in Bitcoin. In 2013, my undergrad institution, MIT, gifted all students $100 in Bitcoin, which today would be worth over $9,300. During my first few months at Stanford, the price of Bitcoin surged by 300%; it was exciting, to say the least. I started monitoring the Bitcoin price daily. My excitement soon morphed into an all-consuming preoccupation: I had a constant desire to check Bitcoin prices. Bitcoin had become a tether which was eroding my financial freedom.
After some prayerful consideration, I decided to let go of my Bitcoin-induced anxiety by divesting my holdings. (If you were wondering, I did make some money.) But the point is that letting go brought freedom back into my financial life. In fact, regularly letting go of finances is a path to financial freedom. Rather than giving to be a “good Christian”, I want to experience freedom as a Child of God. Giving to CC@S fortifies our community so that we can all embrace our identity as Children of God!
