Son’s Death Turns Salon Owner Into Fund Raiser

The unexpected death of her son eight years ago turned Pam Cope into a reluctant, but passionate, fund raiser for causes that help needy children in Cambodia, Ghana, and Vietnam, reports The New York Times.

The former hair-salon owner and her husband established Touch a Life Ministries, in Neosho, Mo., as a tribute to their son, Jantsen, who died of a heart ailment. The organization provides money to aid groups to build shelters for destitute youths who are handicapped, victims of abuse, or homeless or whose parents have died of AIDS.

When Ms. Cope first started, she hated asking for support, she told the newspaper. “I would speak to 400 or 500 people, and nobody would give me any money,” she said. But she has steadily grown more comfortable with the task and has raised about $150,000, primarily from churches and service clubs.

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