The Power of Giving – Inspired by the Story of Leigh Anne Tuohy

Whether it’s giving up your seat on the subway, or making a charitable donation to a good cause, giving back to others can be the greatest reward in life.

For interior designer Leigh Anne Tuohy, her philanthropic nature led her to go above and beyond traditional acts of kindness when in 2004, she and her husband Sean adopted Michael Oher, an African-American student who, at 18 years old, was having a difficult time at school as a result of his troubled childhood.

For most people, her story may sound familiar; all thanks to the award-winning job by Sandra Bullock, when she played Tuohy in the 2009 acclaimed film The Blind Side.

When speaking at the Power of Women event in Toronto earlier this month, Tuohy explained her family’s touching story and how she continues to be “changed” by Bullock and the film adaptation.

“When Sandra Bullock wins an Oscar for portraying you in a film, divorces her husband after he goes off the deep end, and goes on to adopt an African-American baby, it changes you,” Tuohy told the hundreds of guests in attendance at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

She also explained how the power of giving has inspired her entire family. She tells a story about her son, SJ, who, when at a gas station in their hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, witnessed a man paying $5 for gas for his car. With gas costing over $3 per gallon at the time, SJ empathized with the man and paid an additional $20 for him. Surprised by his act of kindness, the man, and the gas attendant couldn’t help but gush over it. Tuohy explains that when her son got home that evening, he was more confused than anything. “It was only $20,” he told her. But it wasn’t the money that was the value here. It was his generosity.

The lessons Tuohy has tried to instill, not only within her own family, but also to the people who have been inspired by her family’s story, is that giving back can be the simplest of fundamentals, and that a little, sure goes a long way.

More information on the Tuohy family can be found in their book, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.


— Veronica Boodhan