A Quest to End Poverty… Peg Delegato and her gift of giving Words: Amy Bell Picture: Whitney Patton
F
or most of her life, Margaret (Peg) Delegato has been on a quest to end poverty and rid the world of hatred. It’s certainly a lofty goal — but if anyone can come close to pulling it off, it’s a dedicated philanthropist like Peg. Born and raised in Detroit, Peg says Motown was a vibrant and exciting city during her childhood. “I grew up in what for me was the best of times, but for some, it was the worst of times,” she recalls. Peg graduated from high school in 1958, full of optimism and idealism. “I knew great things were awaiting me,” she says. “After all, I had a dad who told me if I worked hard, I could become the president of the United States. Oh, he was so ahead of his time!” she laughs.
Planting Seeds After high school, Peg considered a career in nursing. “Little did I know at the time that more seeds were being planted for future ripening and harvesting,” she says. A couple of years later, Peg changed career plans and ended her marriage. Now a single mother, she took on a job at a credit union that offered her the flexibility to raise her child.
“It was at this job that my supervisor pushed me towards fur thering my education,” she recalls. In 1968, Peg began her studies at the University of Detroit. Soon after, she quickly climbed the ladder at the credit union to a manager position. “In my credit union employment, I learned that many besides myself lived paycheck to paycheck, and many suffered as the working poor,” she recalls. “It gave me a crash course in compassion.” At the time, racial tensions were high in Detroit, and there were frequent riots. “The city was burning, and as I learned more about the plight of the people, I burned with the passion of wanting to help them,” Peg reflects. This led her to join an organization called Focus Hope. “It was here that community leadership became paramount in my life—and it was here that the seeds of ending hatred and poverty became my being.” During her time with Focus Hope, Peg developed fundraising and organization skills, but most importantly, she learned compassion. This was when she vowed to dedicate her life to ending poverty and bigotry. To this day, she has not broken that promise.
Florida Philanthropy In 1989, Peg moved to Bradenton, first as a snowbird and eventually a full-time Floridian. “I tried retirement for a while,” she recalls. “Very boring.” By 1995, she decided to go back to school and complete her college education. Peg received her A.A. from Manatee Community College and then transferred to USF- Sarasota/Manatee. “In 2003, at the age of 63, I earned my B.A.,” she says. “I was so grateful and promised the good Lord that I would do what I could to help others fulfill their dream of an education,” she did. Soon after, Peg started volunteering at Ballard Elementary School. She also taught a Sunday morning preschool for Hispanic children for five years. As she continued her school volunteering, Peg was introduced to Reading Pals. “I could not participate in its first year but have every year since,” she says. She has participated in Reading Pals at a number of local elementary schools, including Daughtrey, Ballard, Rogers Garden, and Prine. “Oh, I enjoy it more than I can say,” she exclaims. “Ballard and Rogers Garden were also my camping ground for 63
NextGen AugSep 2020.indd 63
8/5/20 12:34 PM