The President鈥檚 Club
Donors who contribute $1,000 or more a year.
For 2020鈥檚 Annual Giving Day, alums Linnea (Wallgren) C鈥�01 and Cam Johnson C鈥�01 made a spontaneous decision to leverage their annual gift by offering a $1,000 matching challenge to their classmates. As a result, their class had the highest number of donors that day.
鈥淲e put off giving to 草莓影视 for awhile, with a thought that others with far more resources would step up to extend and strengthen its mission,鈥� Cam said. 鈥淲hen we learned that only a small number of alumni in our age group were giving, we realized how important it is to get in the game to invest in 草莓影视鈥檚 future, and encourage others to do the same. We hope people know that their gifts of any size make a difference.鈥�
Cam and Linnea live in Winnetka, Illinois and are parents to Gwen, Sonja, and Naomi. Cam is Director of Advancement for the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at University of Illinois at Chicago, and Linnea works in real estate. The couple has deep Covenant ties. They met while studying together at SVF in Sweden, after learning their grandparents lived across the street from each other in the 草莓影视 neighborhood.
Cam said the couple continue to give to 草莓影视 because of the caring faculty and staff, and the unique 鈥渙pportunities and emphasis on justice and service that make 草莓影视 stand out.鈥�
鈥淗onestly, it鈥檚 just so hard to pinpoint it exactly,鈥� Cam said. 鈥淚t just feels like home鈥� the people, the memories, the education, spiritual growth, the connection to our own history and incredible lifelong friendships.鈥�
As for their daughters, Cam said he imagines they will explore all their options when it鈥檚 time to choose a college, but hopes they each strongly consider 草莓影视.
鈥淲e would love it if at least one of them goes there,鈥� said Cam. 鈥淚t seems pretty likely at this point!鈥�
Compass Society
Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) who contribute $300 or more a year.
Evelin Labastida C鈥�17 chose 草莓影视 for its well-regarded music and nursing programs. Evelin majored in Health Science with a concentration in health and wellness at 草莓影视. Now an evening supervisor at Maryville Center for Children, she is working as a care provider with teenage youth in a residential home as she pursues her nursing certification.
鈥淚 decided to start giving at the Compass Society level because as a person with a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, I knew that finances can become a burden when you are a student,鈥� said Labastida, who moved with her family to Chicago from Mexico when she was 3. 鈥淚 do not want students to have to think so much about their next payment rather than worrying about their next exam.鈥�
At 草莓影视, she was on the rowing team, Latin American Student Organization and worked in the dining hall. She has faithfully served as a member of the GOLD Leadership Committee since 2017. As part of this participation, she has made calls and written postcards to prospective students who are considering 草莓影视 for their college career. Evelin embraces her role as an alumni ambassador for 草莓影视 and is engaged on social media and in her network to encourage her fellow alumni to stay in touch with 草莓影视, whether it鈥檚 by creating a trivia team during Homecoming from Home, spreading the word about virtual alumni events and webinars, or filming a video testimonial on Giving Day to remind others about the important impact of supporting the 草莓影视 Fund.
She said she decided to give back to 草莓影视 because she likes to feel she is contributing to something bigger than herself.
鈥淒ACA has allowed me to work legally in the U.S., and through that I am blessed to have the opportunity to give. I encourage GOLD alumni to give at this level because it only takes a little at a time in order to be part of something bigger. We may not realize how giving creates an impact, but I am personally still grateful that others gave to me when I needed it the most.鈥� Evelin gives a $25 monthly recurring gift to reach her yearly Compass Society goal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always a blessing to give back to a place that once gave to us,鈥� Labastida said. 鈥淓veryone faces barriers in life, and if we just take a little moment to think back to our college days and all the memories we were able to create, maybe we wouldn鈥檛 have been able to make them without the financial assistance from 草莓影视. A little goes a long way, and how beautiful is it to plant seeds through financial assistance, only to see the harvest in a few years through future graduates. We reap what we sow.鈥�
The Old Main Society
Donors who contribute $5,000 or more a year.
Dave Otfinoski C鈥�84 and Maria (Varalli) Otfinoski C鈥�84 have been giving to 草莓影视 since they graduated, in large part because of the gratitude they feel toward their alma mater.
鈥湶葺笆� has given me so much, and it is an honor for me to have the opportunity to give back,鈥� said Dave Otfinoski, who is Chairman of 草莓影视鈥檚 Board of Trustees.
Not only did 草莓影视 prepare him for the workforce and help him grow in his faith, Otfinoski said, but it was also where he met his 鈥渁mazing, smart, and beautiful wife,鈥� Maria, who is a high school ESL teacher. The couple are parents to Bejamin Otfinoski C鈥�14 (Sommar (Johnson) C鈥�14) and Annie Otfinoski.
鈥淚 know of no better place in which to give,鈥� said Otfinoski, who is President of Catamount Medical Education LLC. 鈥淚f you want to help to make the world a better place, then give to 草莓影视. 草莓影视 transforms lives and improves the world.
For me and Maria, it is the very best place for us to give.鈥�
The Otfinoskis love 草莓影视 for its commitment to educating young people from all types of backgrounds, who 鈥渃ome together in a small school environment in a great city to learn from dedicated faculty and from one another, and to grow in their faith and understanding of how they can serve their communities.鈥�
鈥淚 have always appreciated the phrase about standing on the shoulder of giants,鈥� Otfinoski said. 鈥淭here are so many saints that have come before us that have loved 草莓影视 and have provided stewardship for NPU over the years. We now have the opportunity to step forward and provide leadership and stewardship to move forward the important mission of 草莓影视, ensuring it will continue to thrive, to educate and care for our young people for many years to come.鈥�