Seeking Divine Intervention in Philanthropy

When Topper and Carole Long of Gallatin, Tenn., say their stewardship to Harding is led by God, it is not just a trite statement. Though they did not have the means in 1992 when they met Stefanie - the bright, ambitious 13-year-old daughter of the minister at Warwick, R.I., Church of Christ - the couple began praying that God would allow them to help her attend college when the day came. Five years later, when Stefanie decided to attend the University, God did provide the resources, and the Longs' journey with Harding began.

Though no longer living in Rhode Island, the Longs assisted with Stefanie's tuition and expenses during her four years at the University through the Jimmy Carr scholarship fund - anonymously.

"We believed strongly at the time that God should get all the credit for our being able to support Stephanie and that it should, therefore, be a very private endeavor," Topper explains.

However, their cover was blown with Stefanie's family the morning of her graduation in May 2001, when the couple had a "chance encounter" with the family having breakfast at Shoney's in Searcy.

"We didn't even plan to see them," Topper says. "We were going to watch Stephanie graduate and leave. However, we had said from the outset, if God wanted Stefanie and her family to know who was helping her, he would tell them. When we met them at Shoney's, they asked us specifically why we were there and whose graduation we were attending. We had to either lie or tell the truth, so we took that as God saying, 'tell them the truth!' so we told them."

Because the Longs had not seen Stefanie or any of her family since they left Rhode Island seven years previously, the reunion and revelation was very moving.

"The response was shock and surprise followed by very emotional expressions of appreciation," Topper recalls. "It remains a vivid memory from 2001 and was one of the most emotional and wonderful experiences of our lives."

In 2005, then living in Destin, Fla., the Longs met Jessica at Destin Church of Christ. Jessica and her two younger sisters, in Topper's words, "needed" to attend Harding. By then, God had continued to provide the Longs with abundant blessings - including financial resources. He also led them to the realization that if they were going to help Jessica and her sisters attend Harding, they needed to establish a more permanent and formal relationship with the University.

Working primarily with representatives in the advancement office, they hammered out various ideas over a 12-month period, ultimately resulting in the Lois and Eunice Scholarship and Endowment Funds.

The hybrid fund concept was something new for the University. The scholarship fund makes resources instantly available to young women who need help. The endowment fund assures a lasting process and source of funds to help young women after the longs can no longer do so.

Topper says, "Our relationship became very close as we both sailed uncharted waters. The three most influential factors in the evolution of our relationship have been Harding's spirit, commitment and attitude as we worked hand-in-hand countless hours to get the necessary agreements documented and in place and to modify and use them since that time."

Throughout the development process, the Longs continued to insist on their anonymity. However, that changed in 2007.

Topper met and spent a day with Dr. Monte Cox, dean of the College of Bible and Religion, at Harding University at Tahkodah. "By the end of the day, we had discussed our goals and dreams and become fast friends," Topper says.

He invited Cox to a meeting the next day to put finishing touches on the Lois and Eunice agreements. When the subject of anonymity came up, Topper asked Cox his opinion.

"Monte said he thought we could be much more effective with both the girls and others if they know who we are," Topper says. "After some thought and prayer, that was the end of it. He was right."

Since the establishment of the two funds in 2005, 13 young women - including Jessica and her sister - have received Lois and Eunice Scholarships. Jessica graduated in May 2009, and her youngest sister plans to enroll in 2012. Through the scholarship fund component, 14 "GO grants" have also been dispersed to young women who want to serve as interns through the University's Global outreach Program.

"The girls we help with GO grants possess an intense desire to get outside their comfort zone and go to uncomfortable places just to do God's work and help others," Topper says. "That's uncommon in today's world of self-centered behavior."

Topper says a love of God and Christ, humility, appreciation, readiness to learn and accept advice and help, willingness to con-tribute and work for success, and a desire to be somebody in both the world and God's kingdom are among the other characteristics that distinguished Stefanie and the young women who have followed her.

The Longs are confident that God will continue to lead them to such young women.

"Carole and I have never been poor, but we had little 'extra' until about the same time that we committed to help Stefanie," Topper says. "It may be coincidence, but since that time, God has poured out bountiful blessings on us both financially and in many other ways. We are comfortable that our best stewardship of the blessings God has given us is to become partners and co-stewards with Harding. It is a great source of joy for us, and it helps a few girls along the way."