Frank and Olive Walker became very special friends of the residents at the Reformed Presbyterian Home. Even though they lived across the country from the RP Home, they were very interested in the life of those who live here. Over the past 20 years, they gave four special monetary gifts to the RP Home to support the Walker Fund, named in their honor. Each of these gifts came with discussion about how the monies would be used. They wanted them to be used for something special that every resident could enjoy and not just to pay the bills. Their generosity created four special events that appear annually on the calendar at the RP Home: the Founders’ Day Picnic in June, the Ice Cream Social in July, the Country Fair in September, and a special Christmas dinner in December.

The Country Fair was the first of these events and has become a very popular event at the RP Home. It is the closest thing to a country fair that we can do on our campus in the city. We have a petting zoo on the lawn, pony rides, country music, clowns, face painting, and games, as well as a City of Pittsburgh fire truck and firemen from our local station. Another highlight is the food—corn dogs, nachos, popcorn, funnel cake, and cotton candy. It is scheduled each September on a day that the City of Pittsburgh schools are not in session to allow the families of our residents and staff to enjoy the day with us. Olive Walker traveled to Pittsburgh to help us launch the first Country Fair. We will never forget her joy in seeing other people have such a good time and her desire to take stories of the day and pictures home to Frank.

Over the years the other events were added. At each event we share the story of Frank and Olive and their generosity and care for the residents of the RP Home. Though the Walkers have passed away, these events will continue annually because of the generosity of their gifts to us. Frank and Olive Walker were truly living illustrations of the cheerful giver in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Lorrie Meneely is chief financial officer of the RP Home. An RP Home feature appears semiannually in the Witness.

You can visit the RP Home Facebook here.