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» Benefit Auction raises over $100,000
» Alum Update: Shawnti Peachey ’08
» Pioneer Partner program established
Benefit Auction raises over $100,000 Back to Top
The 38th Annual Benefit Auction was a fun-filled event, full of generosity, good fellowship, food and laughter. Thanks to those who gave, we raised over $109,000. There were exciting bidding battles among friends, alumni racing to the silent auction just before its closing, and bidders taking a break in the food court, refueling on taco salad or BBQ chicken dinner.
Special project donations totaled $7,200 for student grants and $3,500 for updating student locker rooms.
The highest purchased single item in the live auction was the utility trailer donated by LCG Pence, which brought in $2,900. Liberty Rock Products consented to sell more than one cascading rock fountain, making total purchases for the fountains $3,800.
Alumni class gift competition results are as follows:
- Most money raised on auction day – Class of 1960 ($2,700)
- Highest value of class gift (most money turned into class representative pre-auction) – Class of 1960 ($990)
- Most creative class gift – to be determined
Thanks to all the classes that contributed to the auction with fun and exciting items.
On behalf of the students, families, faculty and staff of Western Mennonite, we thank you for participating in the school’s largest fundraising event of the year. We pray that God blesses all of you, and we ask that you continue to lift WMS up in your prayers – that this may be a place where lives are changed and God is glorified.
Alum Update: Shawnti Peachey ’08 Back to Top
Serving in South African orphanages impacted 2008 WMS graduate Shawnti Peachey, changing her global perspective. Now she is attending Hesston College, majoring in social work. She hopes to work in international adoptions in the future. Shawnti recently returned to Western with a group of Hesston students, giving us a chance to catch up with her:
What is it like to be back at Western?
It’s good to come back and see people I recognize. It feels like coming home – comfortable. Although, it does feel weird since I’m not going to school here anymore. It’s also good to see all the wonderful things that are happening at Western, such as the development of the theater program and the beautiful new library.
What have you been doing since high school?
After graduation, I went to Europe on the choir trip, then came back home and worked at a coffee shop in Corvallis while taking exercise classes at OSU. I then went to South Africa for 6 months with TLC (The Love of Christ) Ministries where I cared for baby orphans. During the summer I was at Drift Creek Camp, then in the Fall of 2009 I began college at Hesston, starting towards a degree in social work.
How have you grown spiritually since high school?
My most impacting experience was caring for orphans in South Africa. I grew the most spiritually after I got home, though, and had time to process what I had experienced. While there, I worked 12 hours a day, which was intense, so I didn’t connect my head to my heart. Now it feels like a big dream that I just woke up from, and I don’t know what to make of myself yet. But after seeing and experiencing conditions in South Africa, home will never feel the same. I do, however, have a deeper motivation and direction for life.
Why did you go to South Africa?
I went there with the desire to experience love in a different way. I wanted a deeper understanding of God’s love, and felt a connection to orphans because I was adopted at that age. While there I mostly saw love in the little things: the willingness of people to get up at 5 a.m. to work, the way people treated others. Also, I discovered more about love in caring for orphans. Being around forty 0-3 month-old babies with no families was difficult. But to be the one to hold them and love them brought strong feelings of God’s presence. And because of this experience, I am beginning to have a deeper understanding of love. Traveling has brought new questions without answers, and during this time I am standing on “God is love” – that gives me peace.
What are your future plans?
Once I finish at Hesston, I plan on attending a four year college with hopes of working in international adoptions. I’m adopted, and one day hope to adopt a child. Also, I hope to do more long term service in Africa, using my summer breaks during college to visit orphanages to get to know what they are doing. I am currently looking into spending a year at an orphanage in Kampala, Uganda, soon after I finish Hesston in 2011.
How did Western change the course of your life?
Western focuses on the student, not just the academics, that’s why I came for my junior and senior years. I also came to connect with my Mennonite roots, something the public schools can’t offer. The community support set me off in a really good direction, too. And all the opportunities the school provided – I now have the travel bug. Because people supported me for taking a year off of school after graduating, I have the confidence to be brave. Brave enough to go to Africa. Brave enough to pursue my passions.
Pioneer Partner program established Back to Top
Western realizes the strain on families trying to pay tuition. With the financial instability of the economy, it is difficult to afford the cost of private Christian education. To support students and their families financially, WMS has established a monthly/quarterly giving program – Pioneer Partners.
Over the years, many alumni, parents and friends have financially supported the ministry of Western by responding to phonathons, fundraisers and capital campaign projects. Their generosity has allowed the faculty and staff of WMS to share the gospel and impact the lives of four generations since the school’s inception in 1945. Christian schooling is one of the most effective ways to not just share faith, but to acknowledge the power of God in daily activities.
If you would like to support a cause that is impacting the lives of students on a daily basis, then WMS invites you to become a Pioneer Partner. (Click here for more information.)
WMS thanks its patrons who have continuously given over the years. You have blessed the school and its families through your generosity.
Donations needed
With the end of the school year comes the end of Western’s fiscal year. The school has raised 61% of finances it needed to fundraise. With only one month before financially closing the year, WMS is asking for $188,000 in support of its mission.
Ways to give include:
- Continuous giving (Pioneer Partners) – EFT
- One-time gift (Credit Card, cash or check)
- Planned giving (multiple creative ways to give)
How can I give when I need to provide for my family?
Like my family, I want Western Mennonite School to carry on for generations to come. What can I do? It’s easy to do both. Talk to us about your options, like…
- Designating your retirement plan
- Leaving a life insurance policy
- Making a bequest through your will
- Making a gift now, and receiving income for life
- And much more
Any of these options could help you now and provide for your family in the future. Some you can even put into place today without losing any income.
Want to learn more? www.legacy.vg/westernmennoniteschool
This publication is intended to provide general gift planning information. Our organization is not qualified to provide specific legal, tax or investment advice, and this publication should not be looked to or relied upon as a source for such advice. Consult with your own legal and financial advisors before making any gift.