July 2007 Development Newsletter

Article Body: Welcome to the July Development Office newsletter. During these lazy, hazy days of summer, yet another Graceland student success story has emerged, with a little romance added. Recent graduates Katie Waugh of Wisconsin, and Eric Mercer of Ontario, excelled at the prestigious Des Moines Arts Festival at the end of June. Katie won Best of Show among 24 "Emerging Iowa Artists." Graceland provided the backdrop during the last four years for these two talented students to hone their art skills, and to fall in love. Read GU's Latest Champion for details.

An ice cream social was held Monday, July 16^th, to welcome Graceland's 17^th president, Dr. John Sellars and Bette Sellars. Members of the Graceland and Lamoni communities met outside the Higdon Administration Building to cool off with ice cream and get to know the Sellars. John is no stranger to Graceland, having served as an associate professor of business and VP for Institutional Advancement during the 1990s. Bette Sellars taught art at Graceland during the same period. They both attended the Des Moines Arts Festival to cheer on Katie and Eric.

Crews have been working hard in the heat to install our new football field artificial surface. Midwest Field and Turf has removed the natural grass and is now working with the many tons of sand and gravel that form the foundation for the synthetic surface. The Yellowjackets opening game is September 1^st - crews expect to have the field ready. The project to reseal and repaint the Leland Drennen Ackerley outdoor track is also progressing. Graceland salutes Johnny (Class of 1962) and Sharon Huntsman for their wonderful gift to make all of this possible. Check out Huntsmans Love GU for the story. Click here to watch our construction camera.

There will be no weird bounces for the Graceland tennis teams to chase when they return this fall. The Hal McKain Tennis Courts look great after being resurfaced. See what it looks like at court level by clicking on the photo.

There has been progress this summer creating new office space for the Sandage Center for the Study of Free Enterprise - click on the photo to see more. Our champion SIFE team can spread out a little when they gear up this Fall, because of the generosity of Dr. Charles Sandage's family. GU Board of Trustees member Orman Brooner, and his St. Joseph, MO, construction company are providing labor and materials for the project. The new offices are located across from the main reception area in the Memorial Student Center.

If you think nothing much happens at Graceland in the summer, think again. The Lamoni campus has been alive with camps. Art camps drew 85 public school students the first two weeks in June. More than 100 members of the South Chrysler Restoration congregation from Independence, MO, enjoyed the campus in mid-June, followed by the Restoration 70 reunion with 550 adults and children. Contemporary Christian Ministries (CCM) held its annual reunion on campus, followed by the Community of Christ Singles Reunion, which brought Graceland alumni and others to campus for what has become a summer tradition. And then there's SPECTACULAR. There is no energy shortage when 1,000 high school students and advisors bring the campus to life in late July. It is a week of sports, music, theatre, classes and worship, all sponsored by the Community of Christ. Many campers decide to return to Graceland for college after spending a week at SPEC.

Estate Planning Tip of the Month. Now is a perfect time to check the deposits to your retirement plan(s). Are you on schedule to meet the maximum allowed under your employer's plan, IRA, 401K, SEP, etc? If, after meeting these limits, you have discretionary funds and you wish to add to your retirement savings even further, there is another option available. This is an additional tax-deferred savings plan, with the blessing of the IRS. Call or email to receive your copy of "The 2-for-1 Retirement Plan" that shows you how to benefit from establishing another tax-deferred account. Contact Ed Fredenberg at 800-645-3582, or by email at edfreden@graceland.edu.

Joe DeBarthe '37 passed away June 17^th on the land west of Lamoni he and Enid Stubbart '64 DeBarthe farmed for 60 years. Enid passed away in 2005. Joe and Enid had already gifted some of their farmland to Graceland, creating the DeBarthe Family Education Endowment. (You can add to the endowment by contacting the Development Office.) Joe and Enid loved Graceland and part of their family legacy will endow scholarships at the university for years to come. Contact me or the Development office if setting up a scholarship endowment sounds like a good idea to you.

Mark your calendar now for Graceland's annual Jazz on the Bricks, set for Friday, September 7^th, at the Independence Campus, 1401 W. Truman Road, Independence, MO. The Jazz Daddies + One will perform for the 6-8 p.m. outdoor event featuring a KC-style, backyard barbeque. For more information, contact Pam Combs at 800-645-3582 or email: combs@graceland.edu. Hope to see you at this Independence Campus mini-homecoming.

Last but certainly not least, fund raising totals for the 2006-07 fiscal year are in and we have yet another new record to report - cash gifted to Graceland last year totaled $6,692,468. And, the anonymous Challenge Grant match of $2 million was met, which means an additional $1,006,334 will be received for the Graceland Forever II Capital Campaign. As of May 31^st, the campaign total had reached $22.6 million.

Time to get ready for SPEC!
Event Date: 7/31/2007 8:55 AM