A Life of Faithful Giving: Remembering Patience Schenck
For decades, Patience (Pat) Schenck practiced quiet, steady generosity. Known in Annapolis. MD for her social and racial justice work, Pat served the Human Rights Commission, Conflict Resolution Center, and Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR), which she helped found. She was very proud to receive the 2017 Peace Maker Award from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of Maryland.
Pat gave modestly but faithfully—small gifts over many years to organizations working toward a more just and equitable world. She believed deeply that change was possible, and that each of us has a role to play in creating it.
When Pat passed away in 2025, she made a final, extraordinary gift: a bequest of approximately $140,000 to Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR).
It was, in many ways, a continuation of how she had always lived.
Pat was a lifelong seeker, educator, and Quaker whose faith shaped both her inner life and outward action. She believed in “that of God in everyone,” and her commitment to equality and justice guided her work—from civil rights advocacy to confronting racism and white privilege in her own community. She did not shy away from the discomfort of that work. Instead, she leaned into it, believing that growth and transformation required honesty, humility, and persistence.
Her children describe her as someone who “felt strongly that a better world is possible.” Even when resources were limited, she gave what she could. She understood that having “enough” was itself a privilege—and that sharing from that place was an act of faith.
Pat was drawn to organizations that trusted communities and supported grassroots leadership, especially among women. She believed in the power of local solutions and long-term sustainability. While she may not have spoken often about her giving, her actions reflected a clear conviction: meaningful change happens when people are resourced to lead in their own communities.
Her final gift to RSWR reflects that same trust and vision.
Through her bequest, Pat continues to support women in India, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Guatemala as they build sustainable livelihoods, strengthen their communities, and shape their own futures. What began as small, steady contributions has now become a lasting legacy—one that will ripple outward for years to come.
Pat’s life reminds us that generosity is not measured only in size, but in intention and consistency. And that sometimes, the seeds we plant quietly over a lifetime grow into something far greater than we imagine.
She was, as her family shared, “someone who lived her values.”
And through this final act of giving, those values live on.
Interested in making a legacy gift to Right Sharing of World Resources? Learn more here.