This month I will be turning 70 years old. When I turned 50, I decided to prepare for the date by celebrating each month prior to the actual date. After all, I reasoned, I experienced my 50th August 11 months before I experienced my 50th July. These early celebrations put the actual day into a new perspective, one that reminded me not only of my mortality, but of numerous reasons to celebrate. The experiment was so successful, I repeated it when I turned 60.

I planned to do this routine again this year in anticipation of my 70th, but something happened in September 2013. Paul and I married each other and decided that we wanted to celebrate by offering a season on generosity. We encouraged others to join us by leaving big tips, appreciating others, doing acts of kindness, and giving to their own and our charitable causes. That experience unleashed something in me that has stuck. So this year, my celebrations have been about generosity, and I hope to encourage you to be generous now.

Here are some of the places that I support. I hope you will consider joining me in that support, perhaps in celebration of my birthday!

• After School Matters
• Adler University
• Diablo Ballet
• Heartland Housing
• Heartland Human Care Services
• Milwaukee Ballet
• United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties
• YWCA Southeast Wisconsin