Long before anyone was talking about the "glass ceiling" in corporate boardrooms, Millie & Glen held a memorable conference in Vermont. The snow was piled several feet high as we approached the beautiful conference center. The conferees stressed the importance of including women in the governing body of America's businesses.Thus, a new dialog was formed that stretched to coporations nationally. Their vision opened so many doors for women. The first Trickle Up business helped the poorest women provide shoes for their children so they could go to school. They knew how to make fruit juices, where to find the bottles and an outlet for sale, but they needed a large pot to cook the fruit that fell free on the Caribbean Island. The $50 grant enabled them to buy the pot, make their juices and sell them to realize their dream. The tremendous hurricane (Andrew?) leveled the trees on the island, so they met with the elders to determine what to do. One grandmother had land and suggested they grow ginger, as it was a root crop and could not be destroyed by future hurricane. Thus was born a new business - ginger wine! A bottle still sits in our cabinet and I made a ginger cake for a board meeting with that wine. The "banana bunch" followed soon afterward and their banana chips sold well. So many lives were enriched by Millie&Glen as the small grant of $50 provided a door out of poverty. In Bridgeport, CT one of the businesses started with poor women in Mercy Center - Pillow Talk - became a lifelong hobby and resource for income for some of those women. The hand made quilts and pillows were sought for gifts and some were displayed in the Barnum Museum! Millie's legacy reaches wide and her spirit will never be forgotten.

It is impossible for me to think of a world without Millie. She was a friend, a mentor, a cheerleader, an innovator and the best neighbor, generous, gracious and great fun. We shared many things: our address, our love for politics and people, respect for organizations that made a difference and followed their mission. We also found that we shared connections - we often laughed about how we sort of embodied the six degrees of separation; so many of her friends were friends of my family and those connections provided a special bond. I loved her holiday letters and revelled in the news of the children. Her pride in Jane and Aileen and then Ariel and Sage was infectious and palpable. Friends who knew that we shared so much were so envious of that relationship: they were right: everyone should have known Millie. Her legacy is secure: a wwoman of enormous strength, intelligence and ccompassion.

Courage, humor, compassion, love of humanity, a beacon of light for hope and support of women worldwide, devoted to her family and friends. I was fortunate to be invited into the fold when my brother Alex married Aileen Robbins and it was then that I was embraced and welcomed into Millie's life. Her vision, devotion and love are the gifts I will treasure along with her humor and remarkable life. She was devoted and delighted to celebrate the lives of her daughters Aileen and Jane, her granddaughter Ariel and husband Justin and great grandchild Sage. She will be missed and treasured. With loving thoughts to Aileen, Jane, Ariel, Justin and Sage. May you find comfort in knowing how much joy you gave her throughout her lifetime.

Millie and I met at a luncheon sometime in the middle 80s. We became fast friends, partly with the powerful urging of my late wife Randy, one strong woman who immediately recognized another. And we came to know and respect Glen, as well. Many close and meaningful associations followed as Trickle Up evolved from first the penthouse and then the basement on Riverside Drive; and then into offices downtown: the luncheons, dinners, celebrations and garden tours at PHE; the Business Council meetings over many years; the Board meetings; the galas; her talk to the women of Chautauqua; and finally our last glass together, Randy gone and Millie declining, but still positive and upbeat, always positive and upbeat. A woman of amazing accomplishment has now passed her legendary legacy on, an inspiration to us all; gone but never forgotten. One of the Great Spirits in my life. Thank you, Millie. And amen to a life well lived and long to be remembered.

R.I.P Mrs Leet. I met Mrs Leet through my youth officer, in 1979. Unemployed at the time, and president of our then youth group, Mr and Mrs Leet, financed the group, with a grant of US$50 to help us raise funds by starting an Icecream Project in my village. The group met their satisfaction as to the use of the US$50, hence another US$50 was given to us, which help the group purchase our own Ice-cream tub. After a few years, the group was none functional, as members migrated and found other form of gainful employment. I remained unemployed, therefor use the Ice-cream project as a form of employment for myself, after notifying the Leets. As years went by, they visited me frequently in my country Dominica W.I and was very satisfied with the progress I was making financially. Their frequent newsletter sent to me by mail, was very encouraging, and helped me hold on to Ice-cream making to generate income.

Mrs. Leet was my Mentor, my Encourager, my Role Model,she is the reason I am what I am today, she nominiated me to attend many women conferences overseas.
She gave me a beginning to life, she open doors for me , doors I never knew existed. She will be surely missed!

When we first moved into 54 Riverside Drive in 1982, we wondered about the activities in the top floor apartment. Over time, we learned that it was something very special and remarkable.

It was Trickle Up.

Millie Leet was a very cherished neighbor and a truly remarkable woman. Our many conversations with her, usually chance meetings always impressed us with her good cheer, her passion for making the world a better place and her enormous humility.

She has left a wonderful legacy both in the family members who survive her and in the organization she co-founded which continues to enrich the lives of people all over the world.

We are saddened by her loss and will truly miss her.

Susan and Bob Chambre

Mrs. Leet was a warm and gracious neighbor. She was very encouraging to me, just another young person in her building. And, while seeming to be a serious old-wise-woman, she had a wicked and succinct funny streak. Her passing saddens, but her remarkable work goes on.

Millie was, quite simply, one of the most awesome people I have ever known. We met when I was assigned to work with her during Al Blumenthal's mayoral campaign. She introduced herself by reeling off a list of her accomplishments. When she was only part way through, she realized that I was quite overwhelmed, and, as a humble law student, could not introduce myself in nearly so impressive a way, and she said something that made me realize right from the outset that this was a woman who was so talented that she could not help but accomplish remarkable things. We remained friends, and I always think of her with those angel earrings that she liked to wear, although she later abandoned them out of sensitivity to Glen, because they were from her first husband. Sensitivity, consummate diplomacy, brilliance, honest good judgment, and the care and patience to teach and to mentor, these are some of the things I will miss most about Millie. My deepest sympathies to all those who loved her.

My deepest sympathizes go out to you on the death of your mother. She was a deeply driven person who worked vigorously to make the world a better place. She was a tireless advocate for both poverty alleviation and women's rights. It was a privilege to work with her at Trickle Up. She was a very caring woman who took the time to get to know staff. I have fond memories of our many conversations. She will be missed.
Thomas Provan former staff member(1995-2007).

The world will miss your quick wit and sharply honed sense of compassion and fairness.

All of us at MCNY school will miss your sense of community, and deft work at building stronger bonds of friendship and warmth.

I will miss your smile.
Paula Landry

In the mid '80s I went to the UN for the first time representing the League of Women Voters. I discovered the world of NGOs and it was my great good fortune to met Millie Leet, who became my mentor in the second, and it turns out, enduring life work. As she had for so many others, she taught me everything I know about working in the fascinating and challenging world of international helping hands. She was a true wonder, and I think of her often.

We are deeply shocked to hear the news of sad demise of Mrs. Mildred Robbins Leet, co- founder of Trickle Up a dynamic personality and inspirational figure in the global map for fighting poverty and introducing Trickle Up concept for the Economic Empowerment for the marginalized population all over the globe. We really feel that, this is a great loss to the Social Movement of the poverty stricken people and we will remember her and feel honored to meet at New York and Kolkata city. Her guidance and strategy would be useful when there is a humanitarian crisis in the global scenario. We pray for her peace in the eternal life.



The poor people of our operational areas send their deepest sense of sorrow for this loss. Her philosophy and ideology introduced in the Trickle Up movement will remain a model and economic Messiah for the urban poor. We will remain friends of Trickle Up Program and keep non-funding partnership and will miss very much for the exclusion from the program.

It was my honor and privilege to serve on the Board of Save the Children with Millie Leet. She was an inspiration to me and to the people she met from every walk of life. I loved listening to her and learning from her vast experiences as well as her profound love of life. She gave hope, inspiration, and ultimately a future to many people. Her work will live for generations and help us all to "keep on keeping on."

How sad it was to hear of Mrs. Leet's passing. I worked for Glen and Millie Leet at Trickle Up in the mid-90s, in the basement offices. It was my first non-profit fundraising job and a remarkable learning experience. I was continuously inspired, encouraged, and challenged by Mrs. Leet, my firt mentor. Watching her tireless and brilliant efforts made it impossible not to follow her, support her, listen to her. Thank you for everything Mrs. Leet.

In 1979, I was living in the Commonwealth of Dominica serving with my family through the United Methodist Church. While at the boxing shed to get wasted bananas for our animals, I met my neighbor, Myld. We were concerned about the wasted bananas. Together we facilitated the formation of the Banana Bunch, a group of 6 poor women, who sought to create a business from the wasted bananas.

Two weeks after the Banana Bunch was formed, I met a CFO worker in Roseau who provided technical assistance to the group. He had just met Glen and Millie, who were in Dominica to distribute the first TUP grants. The Banana Bunch was ready to be one of the first recipients of a TUP grant, buying oil and other supplies. I was the TUP Coordinator. I moved on to Nepal as TUP Coordinator - and these 7 1/2 years associated with TUP in Dominica and Nepal, led to a long 33 year career for me in the field of micro-enterprise development.

So, Millie, thank you for your leadership, friendship, and showing me the way! Thank you for standing beside me as woman-to-woman! Times with you and Glen over meals will be cherished. You will be missed by many.

Elizabeth Israel (aka Betty Meyer)
Founder, GreenMicrofinance
[email protected]

We met Glen and Millie in Vermont in 1982 at S.I.T. (School for International Training) and we decided to administer Trickle up projects in Sri Lanka as the subject of my field work for a Master's degree.
It was a pleasure to meet with Glen and Millie in Sri Lanka when they visited to observe TUP grants in action.
Millie - and Glen - were a pleasure to work with and their contribution to rural development - especially for women - will not be forgotten. Adios Millie

About 25 years ago my wife, June, was co-chairman of our church's Harvest Festival. Our Rector insisted that all profits from the Festival had to go to Outreach. One of the programs chosen was Trickle Up. I don't remember how it was chosen but it must have appealed to June and her committee. We have. on our own contioniued to support the program.

In 1994 several of us from the Class of June 1938 in Brooklyn, NY decided to take a three-day cruise out of San Pedro, California. Among my classmates on the cruise was Mildred and her husband. It was the first time that we knew that the Mildred Robbins Leet, founder of Trickle-Up was a classmate. Unfortunately, despite our having been in the same History Club we could not recall any knowledge of the other. Of course, there were 700 in the class. We never met again but each time I sent in our contribution I would ask to be remembered to Mildred. I have always been proud of her and her accomplishments in Trickle Up even before she shared our high School days Erasmus Hall High School. I know that all the people who have been helped by the program are grateful beyond words for her work.