Helping children as a way of life

Minneapolis philanthropist and longtime Plan sponsor Gary Fink has a passion for helping the disadvantaged. The retired Prudential agent advises or sits on the boards of 22 philanthropic organizations. His dedication to helping people in need prompted Gary to create the Phynque Phamily Phoundation in 2001.

Gary says his giving spirit stems from a traumatic childhood experience. “My parents went from being wealthy to poor very quickly, at a time when I was very impressionable,” he recalls. He became a Plan sponsor in 1968 and currently sponsors seven children in six Plan countries.

As an involved sponsor, Gary developed a strong interest in projects that improve the health and well-being of his sponsored children. Over the years, Gary has generously funded water and sanitation projects in Central and South America and in Nepal. He was a key supporter of a Chagas (a parasitic disease affecting an estimated 11 million people in Central and South America) eradication project in Ecuador and has donated to projects that provide recreational equipment and facilities in Plan communities worldwide.

Gary is committed to projects that bolster people’s dignity and quality of life and he and his wife Joanne give away 5% of their net worth annually. “I’m more interested in seeing the results of the money I give away now rather than after I die,” Gary says.

To learn more about opportunities to support a Plan project, please contact a member of our Philanthropy Team at Plan USA by phone at 800-556-7918 or by email at Personalgiving@planusa.org.