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Juan gives because his parents taught him to be grateful for his blessings
For Juan Santiago, giving back to others was a principle his parents taught him.
“I think about when my parents came here from Puerto Rico in the ’50s and my mother always felt indebted to people who had helped them with their challenges like coming to a new country and not speaking the language,” he says.
“That was probably something deposited into us to always be appreciative and grateful when you receive a blessing.”
When Juan heard about the Mercy Health Mobile Unit and its healthcare outreach into Spanish-speaking communities, he urged his employer, Farmers National Bank, to get involved in supporting that mission. Later, Juan became a Mercy Health board member himself.
“We’ve all been given time, talent and treasure, and if the small part that I can do is financial support, I feel like I have some part in the betterment of other humans,” he says. “I feel a responsibility to do that.”