Ready, Willing & Able | The Doe Fund

Formerly employed in the apparel industry, McDonald founded The Doe Fund in 1985 and he has since become a leading authority on the problem of homelessness. The organization - named for the anonymous men and women who populate the streets - was born after a homeless woman he had known and fed, froze to death on Christmas Eve after being forcibly evicted from Grand Central. McDonald attributes his dedication to his Catholic school education, which taught him, he says, that "other people's miseries are your miseries," and that those with advantages are obliged to help the less fortunate.

He drew even more attention to the plight of the homeless in New York when he drew upon the political savvy he had gained as a volunteer on Senator Ted Kennedy's presidential campaign to run for Congress in 1982 on a platform of ending homelessness. He achieved 43 percent of the popular vote in the New York Democratic primary.

In 1990, the New Jersey native implemented Ready, Willing & Able, a residential work and training program for homeless men and women, and a scheme which incorporates his strongly-held belief that a comprehensive solution to homelessness must include access to economic opportunity. McDonald's father's ancestors moved from the North of Ireland to Albany in the 1700's. He lives in New York with his wife Harriet Karr-McDonald, vice-president of The Doe Fund. His son John is chief financial officer of The Doe Fund.