Groner Fellows: Where Are They Now?

Did you see the Tribune's fantastic follow-up article today about the Groner Fellows? You remember them. They are the Lake Forest College students fortunate enough to be recipients of the generosity of Grace Groner, the Lake Forest alumna who died in early 2010 and left LFC $7million and her Lake Forest cottage. (Special note to my readers: If anyone would like to leave me $7million, I'll do good things with (most of) it. I promise. Honestly.)

You may also recall that I received an exclusive tour of Grace's Cottage back in August. What a moving experience that was. Because Grace lived frugally, not cheaply and certainly not poorly, she will continue to live through generations of Foresters and she will impact lives all around the world. What an inspiration she is.

Anyway, the Chicago Tribune ran a follow-up today. Enjoy!

Surprise gift bears fruit for Lake Forest College
Multi-million dollar donation used to fund scholarships
By John Keilman, April 20, 2011

One year after Grace Groner left an unexpected fortune to a Lake Forest College scholarship program, her generosity has borne impressive fruit.

Groner, who died early last year at the age of 100, was a mild-mannered corporate secretary who, unknown to almost all of her friends and acquaintances, was also a shrewd investor. She turned a $180 stock purchase made in 1935 into an estate worth $7 million.

She was a longtime resident of Lake Forest, one of the wealthiest towns in the Chicago area, but lived in an exceedingly modest one-bedroom house. She never married or had children but formed a strong bond with Lake Forest College, her alma mater.

Her estate went into a foundation that Groner, a devoted traveler, meant to aid students interested in studying overseas or pursuing an internship. So far, 84 students have gotten $500 grants to help them work at places ranging from Merrill Lynch to the Chicago Botanic Garden, or to travel to countries such as England or Botswana.

Study abroad programs "don't generally pay for transportation, so this is usually a big help for airfare," said Assistant Dean Jan Miller.

Her gift to the college also included her tiny, antiquated cottage. Students helped rehab it over the summer, and now it serves as an up-to-date residence for two women who have gotten the scholarships.

One of them is Erin McGinley, a senior who used her grant to travel to Falmouth, Jamaica, a historic seaport being transformed by a cruise ship company into a tourist-friendly town. McGinley, 35, a sociology and anthropology major, documented how locals, investors and non-governmental organizations feel about the changes.

The living room holds a photo of Groner, and McGinley said looking at it produces a bittersweet feeling.

"I'm sad that I didn't get to meet her in person, but obviously she has touched a lot of people throughout the community," she said.

Grace may not have had any blood heirs when she died, but as Foresters, we're all Grace's heirs.

Calling All Foresters: LFC Needs YOU!

If you're a regular reader of Little Merry Sunshine, you know what a fan I am of my alma mater, Lake Forest College. This morning, I had the pleasure of reaching out to some of my fellow Foresters and asking them to support the College's Annual Fund before the fiscal year ends on Monday.

Because so many of LMS's readers are Foresters, I thought I'd share my email with all of you. If you've already given to the College already this year, maybe you'll consider making one more gift. If you haven't given to the Annual Fund this year, please make a donation. No matter the size, every gift makes a huge difference. And while you're on the Gateway making your donation, please don't forget to hit the Brag Button and brag about it on Facebook.

Dear Forester Friends,

I’m writing to you today in my capacity as an Alumni Board member. As you may know, the end of the College’s fiscal year is upon us, and now more than ever, Lake Forest College needs our support.

With the state of the economy, the College, just like many of us, is enduring tough times. More than ever before, students are needing more financial aid. The College has responded to this need proactively and is doing all that it can to help every student, so that no one needs to give up on their dream of a college education because of a lack of funds. Obviously, faculty and staff need to be paid and it costs money to maintain the status quo of the College.

When I think back on my days at the College, I know they wouldn’t have been possible without the generous financial aid package the College gave me. I also think about the opportunities the College gave me to study off-campus and the relationships I developed over 20 years ago that are still some of the most long-lasting and important friendships I have. The lessons I learned at Lake Forest have made me a better person and greatly influenced my belief that to whom much is given, much is expected. It’s why I always give to Lake Forest College. I want to make sure that for generations to come, every student who wishes to attend Lake Forest can do so and have the same incredible experiences I had.

We each have our own unique Forester stories and I know we can each point to specific ways in which the College helped shape our lives. Maybe you met your spouse at the College. Maybe you can point to a specific incident that changed some of your fundamental beliefs. Maybe you had a campus job or internship that blossomed into a career. Maybe your roommate freshman year is still your best friend today. Maybe a certain professor believed in you in a way no one else ever had. Whatever your Forester stories, they are yours and they helped make you who you are today.

It’s my hope that when you think about your own Forester stories, you will remember just how much was made possible because of the College and want to help today’s students create their own Forester stories.

Any gift you can make to the Annual Fund before the fiscal year ends at midnight Monday, May 31^st will make a huge difference. Gifts can be made online at http://alumni.lakeforest.edu/makeagift or you can mail a check to:

Derek Lambert
Associate Director of Annual Giving
Lake Forest College
555 North Sheridan Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045

Thank you in advance for your gift to the College and helping today’s students achieve their dreams.

With Forester Pride

Jessica Gardner ‘93
Co-Chair, Alumni Relations Committee, Alumni Board

Every Penny Counts

Arranging the pennies. From dailyherald.com

I love this story so much. I love that it started with a kid questioning what he was taught in school. I love that no one told him "that's a dumb idea." I love that it's outside the box. I love that in questioning what he learned in school, Jack Gabriel wanted to do something to help someone else. It didn't raise a ton of money, as we all know, a little does a lot. I love that the community came out to support this wonderful cause.

Jack Gabriel is my hero today.

The Power of Pennies: Fundraiser for Finnertys Raises More Than $1,000
by Eileen O. Daday, Daily Herald, April 19, 2010

An inscription on a child's bookmark triggered a grass-roots fundraiser Sunday in Arlington Heights that drew nearly 100 people, raised more than $1,000, and put a renewed emphasis on the power of pennies.

Jack Gabriel, a sixth grade student at South Middle School in Arlington Heights, set the event in motion when he questioned whether pennies laid side by side for one mile would add up to $844.80.

"I thought that was amazing, and I wondered if it was true," says Jack, 11.

With that, he and his family decided to test it out. They designed the effort as a fundraiser for the education fund benefiting Bridgit and Pierce Finnerty of Arlington Heights, who survived a fire last year that took the lives of their parents and brother.

An initial e-mail blast to 40 neighbors and friends launched the effort, and then it quickly spread by word-of-mouth. Almost immediately, Gabriel family members say, donations of pennies began to pour in.

They came in plastic bags from children of all ages, as well as larger amounts from Arlington Heights merchants. They also drew donations, including one $100 anonymous donation and multiple checks that came in as late as Sunday.

The problem, according to Jack's mother, Kathleen Gabriel, was converting the money into pennies. Over the last few weeks, Gabriel said she approached every bank in Arlington Heights and then hit up those in surrounding suburbs, as far as Glenview, in search of more pennies.

She relates how tellers at Citibank in Arlington Heights generously donated $50 to the campaign, but when she asked them to convert them into pennies, they declined.

"We're out," they told Gabriel.

When families arrived Sunday, they found a wheelbarrow filled with thousands of pennies.

"This must be a world record or something," declared Caroline Ayala, 6, of Arlington Heights, as she dug into the pennies as if they were sand particles.

Children and adults worked together, each one taking a bag filled with 100 pennies and working to place them end to end along the chalk outline, stretched over the mile course laid out around the Recreation Park neighborhood in Arlington Heights.

"I feel like I'm working on a railway, laying down track piece by piece," said Max Barson, 12, of Arlington Heights.

He worked beside one of his classmates, Nick Fowler of Arlington Heights, who agreed, adding that the effort was a first for him.

"It's kind of cool," Fowler said. "You usually don't think that pennies are worth very much."

That was just the point, Kathleen Gabriel said.

"There's no such thing as a worthless penny," she told the crowd. "There's no amount too small to make a difference."

In the end, the so-called "worthwhile mile" took nearly two hours to lay, another 1½ hours to pick up, and drew more than $1,000 in donations. People still interested in contributing, may submit a check to the Finnerty Family Fund, care of Village Bank & Trust, 234 W. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights, IL 60005.