He’s seen it firsthand as the Marysville School Board president after the Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting last year.

He saw it as the chaplain first at the shelter after the Oso landslide last year.

And as a pastor at the United Methodist Church in Marysville from 2000-2011 he saw it week after week.

People like it when they can help others, especially if the others are in need. He’s adopted this motto, “I relieve people of the need to give.”

He said that’s his favorite part about being in charge of fund-raising in the United States for the University of Kenya in Nairobi, Africa. He has helped raise $110,000 already this year, helping 45 students pursue their dreams.

Albright, who turned 69 Aug. 10, said the scholarships pay 80 percent of the tuition. Students can get a bachelor’s degree for only $6,000 and become doctors for just $16,000 because of low prices there. There are 9,000 students on the six campuses with more than 3,200 graduates a year. The college’s beautiful administration building cost just $1 million 15 years ago. Albright said prices were kept down because at 6,000-foot elevation the high temperatures are 84 and the lows 60 so there is no need for heating or air conditioning.

Albright, who was a pastor for 39 years, first went to Kenya in 1986 attending a conference. He stayed a bit longer than planned to help build a church.

Albright met the head of The Methodist Church of Kenya, Lawi Imathui.

“He’s the most charismatic man I’ve ever met,” Albright said. “He’s like the Bishop (Desmond) Tutu of Kenya.”

Albright became president of the university’s foundation about 10 years ago. The small nonprofit was only bringing in about $100,000 a year for scholarships.

“It was on its last legs,” Albright said.

He said he has enjoyed bringing it to prominence. “It’s the dream retirement job,” he said. “I get to travel, meet interesting people and make a difference in the world.”

He has helped to make a difference in the lives of some of the most mistreated people on the globe. Among the impoverished people he’s helped are refugees from Sudan and Rwanda.

The parents of one young man were killed in Sudan, so he’s trying to attend school and take care of his four brothers and sisters. Albright helped raise money so the man’s youngest sister and brother could stay in an orphanage. Albright said the man was crying on the phone when he called to thank him this week.

He’s developed many other personal relationships in Kenya, but none more important than with Christine Mwaniki Nthamburi. His Marysville church raised the funds to specifically send her to college. He visits her every time he goes there.

“She’s like a daughter to me,” he said.

About a dozen folks from his Marysville church went to Kenya to watch her graduate. They went to her family’s home afterwards to celebrate.

They are so close when Christine found out she was pregnant, she asked Albright if he would be its grandpa.

“It was an easy decision,” he said.

Albright said the University of Kenya is not backwoods at all. It is known for its science and technology, but it also has a medical school and business school.

As the leading fund-raiser in the U.S. for the school, Albright travels to universities such as Duke, North Carolina and Boston. Along with fund-raising, he also tries to recruit professors if they are interested in doing research in Kenya.

Albright said working with people from another culture is not simple. “Bridging the gap is challenging,” he said.

He said in America people are all about money and possessions. But in Africa, they are all about relationships.

“Face-to-face relationships,” he said, adding he can accomplish more in one morning over there than he can sending six months of emails. “They find security in relationships.”

He said there is no shame there in asking for help. If you do, that means you are committed to returning the favor. “The more friends you have the more secure you are that they will back you up,” Albright said.

When he was preaching full-time, he said he used to tell people to find their personal mission in life. After preaching it so long, he decided he had to do it himself. So he retired five years ago, was appointed to the school board and started fund-raising for the university. There he is called “marete, the one who brings news and gifts.”

Albright said it’s a good thing that “70 is the new 50” because he has signed on to do the fund-raising for two more years. He said he’s never seen people who give regret what they’ve done.

“It’s better to be the giver than the receiver,” he said.