I’ve told this story before, I think I’ll probably tell it again.

There is an organization located up near Mt. St. Helens. It teaches, through a dramatic presentation, about NW Native Americans. The man who started it and was the artist who made all the artifacts they used was named Don Smith, but had the right to use the name Chief Lelooska.

He died suddenly. His family, who had always been part of the program, really didn’t have money to pay taxes* on the value of the business and the masks/drums/longhouse that Lelooska used.

Estate taxes were going to shut things down. They would have to sell off the items to pay the taxes. Thousands of schoolkids who had previously enjoyed this experience would now have to get their learning out of a book.

A foundation was formed to slowly buy the masks and capes and so on from their heirs to keep things running. Without the hard work and generosity of people who care about living history, this wonderful program would have been shut down.

Nobody forms foundations for Mama and Papa’s two taco stands that they built from nothing.

My personal opinion is that working capital should have a ceiling more like 30 million.