Sitting in the parking lot sad and depressed, Harris was commiserating with her mom, Bari, when they glanced over at the Asbury Court Retirement Community across the street – and a light bulb went off in their heads.

“It was a hurtful time for her,” said Mary Eichenfeld, the resident services director at the facility in Des Plaines, Il. “They were just sitting in their car and decided to make something good out of the disastrous situation.”

“She came in one day and said she wanted to make a donation,” said Eichenfeld. “I don’t think she knew anybody here, and we don’t get offers like that. So we were thrilled and so were our residents. It came out of the blue.”