February 2008 Development Newsletter

Article Body: Winter Term Memories Help Melt Our Bitter-Cold Weather. Students are back from Winter Term (WT) and classes are in full swing. With temperatures hovering in single digits (or worse) in Lamoni, and ice everywhere, it was an especially tough transition for students participating in the Outreach International WT to Nicaragua and SIFE WT to Belize – 90 degrees and sunny sounds pretty good right now. OI students worked on humanitarian projects, encouraging sustainable good by helping people learn how to help themselves. Click here to see photos from Nicaragua. SIFE students conducted business development workshops for Belize youth who each had a plan for a new business. An African Coalition team of students planned a WT to Kenya, but it was derailed because of social unrest there. It is rescheduled for this summer. Other humanitarian WT groups traveled to Guatemala, Honduras and Jamaica.

You Can Help Create Those Winter Term Memories. Graceland students travel the world during WT (more than 100 this year), working one-on-one with people in need, and gathering personal memories that last a lifetime. Other students are involved in WT internships with businesses – many arranged by Graceland alumni and friends. Alumni donors are stepping up more and more to help fund WT travel costs for students who would otherwise not be able to participate. Alumni Kirt and Cheryl DeHaan, Kelly and Cherry Hartnett and Orman and Colleen Brooner are just three of the couples who have chosen this unique way to support Graceland's goal of transforming young lives. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, contact the Development Office at 1.800.645.3582 or Winter Term Director Pat Hoffman at hoffman@graceland.edu. Pat does a wonderful job coordinating the myriad WTs, on and off campus.

Chili Challenge Heats Up Winter Term at Home. Student Activities Director Brad Carr and his staff organized Chili Bowl XI in January to heat up the Lamoni campus during Winter Term. There were more than 400 students involved in dozens of campus-based WTs. The annual Chili Challenge event continues to grow – 28 entries this year – as individuals, departments, and now WT classes vie for the honor of making the best chili on campus. Click here to see a gallery of Chili Challenge photos. Two student groups placed in the top three: a LEAD-program motivational WT taught by students Austin Isham and Jill Eagan took 1st and the Science of Cooking WT taught by Chemistry Professor Brad Mercer finished 3rd. Graybill Hall Head Resident Nate Wood, and Residence Life, captured 2nd. Bette Sellars, Danise Remmenga, Andy Simpson and Don Keairnes served as judges. Brad Carr said, "The fun and fellowship is great, but make no mistake, this is a very competitive event." This year it added some warmth to a very cold January!

Graceland Forever Ends With a $60 Million Bang! The Graceland Forever Capital Campaign was closed out at the end of December, marking the most successful fundraising effort in university history. More than 11,000 individuals provided cash gifts, pledges and deferred gifts, and supported endowments and endowed scholarship funds. Every GU program and area benefits from the generosity of our wonderful donors. According to President John Sellars, "It is the success of the campaign that ensures the university's long-term success. It will enable students to attend Graceland who could not have otherwise, and it provides the funds that will ensure our continued academic excellence." For details about the campaign and stories about donors, take a look at the new issue of Horizons, now available online. An event to mark this milestone was held on the Independence Campus last Friday, February 15^th. Click here to read the full story and access photos of the event.

CSKW Annual Conference Set for February 28-29 and March 1. The Center for the Study of the Korean War continues in its active role as the world's most comprehensive resource for information about the Korean War. Scholars, students, veterans and many others will be on hand for the 9th Annual CSKW Conference – the theme is War and Medical Services. Civil War medicine experts will even be involved. Presenters from the Army, Navy and several universities will gather for the conference. Contact CSKW Director Gregg Edwards, gedwards@graceland.edu, or 816.833.0524, ext.4304, for details. Click on CSKW to visit their excellent Web site.

Alumni Trip Brought Gracelanders Together in Tuscany. Incredible food, wonderful visits to enchanting villages and vistas of the golden countryside of Tuscany brought 34 Gracelanders together last fall. They reveled in a rainy-day gondola ride through Venice, toured Florence and saw Cortona – the setting for the book Under the Tuscan Sun. Click here to view photos from this unforgettable Tuscany trip. Now you have the opportunity to join fellow Gracelanders for the April, 2008 trip to China. You'll walk the Great Wall, cruise down the famed Yangtze River and so much more. Time is quickly running out so call Director of Alumni Programs Nancy Wallace today at 1.866.GU4-EVER for details.

Donor Spotlight Shines on 2007 Graduate Jesse Bolinger. This energetic young man worked with our annual "phonathon" fund drive and made donations to GU as a student, and now he has become the youngest member of Graceland's Heritage Club, the special group of donors who name Graceland as a beneficiary in their will, trust or retirement fund. Jesse is pursuing a Masters degree and is currently working on a research paper about institutional 'giving societies.' He wants a career in non-profit work. We love hearing from recent graduates about their exciting lives and careers. Stay in touch by emailing Alumni Programs Assistant Beth Heltenberg at alumni@graceland.edu.

Estate Planning Tip of the Month. For a wealth of information and insights about getting started with estate planning, click on Estate Plan and browse the articles we have compiled by experts in the areas of tax law, capital gains, IRA opportunities and many others. While you are at Graceland's development Web site, click around and learn about all the gifting opportunities available. You can also find out which development officer serves your region and how you can make contact. We welcome you to explore our informational web pages and we sincerely appreciate your continued support of Graceland University.

From frigid Lamoni, Iowa, we wish you a warm farewell for now.
Event Date: 2/20/2008 1:50 PM