Advancement

Residence Renewal

The first building at Grebel was the student residence. It turned 60 years old this year, with sixty-year old plumbing, heating, washrooms, and so on. Many of our building systems are well past their expected service life, and their time is almost up. We recently refurbished the kitchen and dining hall, and it’s now time to renew the residence itself to serve future generations of students and guests.

Grebel Fund has a 60-Year Perspective

How much of your summer wages were needed to pay for your tuition? That question is being asked to alumni as part of the fall “Grebel Fund” appeal. Farhan Saeed, a coop student working in communications this term, did some research to create this graph that illustrates how times have changed for students over the span of 60 years.

MDS Volunteer Award Supports Service-Oriented Students

Students at Grebel who are attending the University of Waterloo or Wilfrid Laurier University and have volunteered with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) are now provided the opportunity to earn a substantial scholarship toward one term’s tuition.

New Capital Campaign will Focus on Residence Renewal

A new capital campaign was announced at the 60th Anniversary Gala on October 11. This followed several ‘announcements’ from students, given in the lively spirit of Community Supper announcements. These included invitations to keep dorm room doors wide open during heat waves and a word of thanks to a clean up brigade who mopped up after a ‘waterfall’ down the stairs caused by a plumbing blockage.

New Lichti Voice Studies Award to Support Inspired Singers

Vocal music students at Grebel and UWaterloo are now supported by a new scholarship open to students enrolled in Music Studio in voice and in Music Department choirs. The “Lichti Voice Studies Scholarship Award” was graciously established by Daniel Lichti, an Associate Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University (1998-2017).

Renewing an Inspired Community: A Strategic Plan Update

In April 2022, the Grebel Board of Governors approved the new “Strategic Plan 2022-2025 | Renewing an Inspired Community.” Since this adoption, the College has shifted some of its resources to the four areas of focus which centre attention on these core strategic areas: the student experience; relationships with key partners in the university, church, and wider community; excellence in learning; and resilience for the future. The chart below details some of the progress made in 2022-2023.

Garden Is a Symbol of Faith and Hope

Grebel will be creating a pollinator garden in the spring term! This garden will consist of a variety of native, pollinator-friendly perennials and shrubs, along with a picnic table, educational signs, and paths. We hope that it will be an eye-catching and inviting spot for Grebel students and anyone passing by.

Generosity Is on the Table

Earlier in the year, Grebel students were really behind the 8-ball when their pool table broke right in half! After a request for help in the College e-newsletter, the Thomas family—Phil and Marg (parents of Grebel alumni Neil and Graham)—stepped in and generously donated their table. The Thomas family shared that many Grebel friends had played KERP on this table in its previous life.

New Endowment will Fund Archives Activity

Supporting Grebel programs and capital campaigns has always been a priority for Grebel alumna Anita (Lehn) Tiessen (BA 1981) (second from right in photo) and her late husband Bob Tiessen (BMath 1974). While Bob was an actuary and loved numbers and spreadsheets, one of his favourite hobbies was history. He loved to expand his knowledge of world events and had an interest and respect for Mennonite history, particularly his own family’s history. One of Bob’s retirement projects was to sort through all the photos and documents left to him when his parents passed away. Some of these artifacts were donated to the Archives housed at Grebel, and have resulted in the Franz and Anna Tiessen fonds.

Award Honours Grandmother's Dreams

Sara Froese Berg (1893-1979) had an unfulfilled dream to receive an education. This dream was fulfilled as granddaughter Geraldine Balzer and great-granddaughters Kerstin and Alina graduated from the University of Waterloo and attended Grebel.

Award Supports Students from House of Friendship Programs

For two high school students who connect to House of Friendship programs in Waterloo Region, a substantial grant from the Lyle S Hallman Foundation will make the dream of a Grebel residence experience and a University of Waterloo degree a reality. Youth from community centres and family resource programs run by House of Friendship might not consider applying to UWaterloo if they can’t afford it. Even if they are able to cover tuition, living in residence is often out of the question.

Tables are Filled as Campaign is Complete

An Open House on Saturday, March 26 signified the end of the Fill the Table Campaign as donors were invited to tour the new kitchen and dining room facilities. Food Services Manager Cheri Otterbein noted the vast improvements made in the kitchen and the challenges of feeding students in a construction zone. “When we moved into the new space it was ‘construction clean’, but we needed to make it ‘food services clean’, which meant that we had to wash every item that we own and, as a team, find the best locations for the knives, spices, and pots.”

Alumni Art Acquisitions

This spring, several alumni gathered to see Jim Paterson’s (BA 1981) Triumphal Entry sculpture that was featured as part of “Crossings, a journey to Easter” art exhibition in Toronto. In describing it, Jim wrote, “I started this art piece with a worn old slice of hand-hewn barn beam which grew into an animated, sinewy, wire sculpture crammed with the colours of my childhood and outline memories of people bobbing up and down in enthusiastic expectancy of Jesus turning into our street as part of His triumphal entry procession. I imagine the people on my street energized as we cry out ‘Baruch habah b’Shem Adonai.’”

Alumni Celebrate Parents with Scholarhsip

Steve McDowell (BA 82) and Andrew Reesor-McDowell (BA 76) established a scholarship endowment in for a Master of Theological Studies student in honour of their parents.

MPACS Scholarship Honours Malcom X's Legacy

This new scholarship is the culmination of the vision and perseverance of Majid Mirza who connected with Paul Heidebrecht at Grebel’s Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement (CPA). 

Grebel Fund Supports Connections

Grebel is about community, even if we have not been able to meet together in person. The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched us. But your interest and support helps to connect us.

Gardens Get Revitalized

Some families of students who passed away while living in the Grebel residence gathered on October 25 to dedicate a new student memorial garden.

Grebel Fund Giving Exceeds Goal

For many businesses and organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on fiscal vulnerabilities. In Grebel’s case, we can clearly see that having a full residence is critical not only for a vibrant program but also for a balanced budget.

Welcoming Washrooms

The 2020 “Welcoming Washrooms” project improved the accessibility of the Grebel campus by adding power-operated doors and washrooms in easy-to-access areas around the building.

LEAVE A LEGACY

May is “Leave a Legacy” month and earlier this spring, alumni who have supported Grebel in the past received a mailing describing Grebel’s legacy-giving opportunities.

Construction is Complete!

After years of hammering, drilling, and intricate planning, the kitchen and dining room expansion at Grebel is finally complete. It all began with the ambitious “Fill the Table” fundraising campaign, where over 1000 alumni and other donors contributed over $4.2m to expand and renovate Grebel’s kitchen and dining space.

Grebel Fund Important in Year of Challenges

This year, more than ever, we will be relying on support from our alumni and donors who include Grebel in their charitable giving.

The Completed Kitchen

The fall term started with a brand-new kitchen facility opening for operations in late August. “We were thrilled to have a new, bright, and expanded space,” said Cheri Otterbein, Food Services Manager, “even if some of the equipment wasn’t totally functional when we opened.”

Grebel Fund Remains Critical For Students and Programs

Budgets in the university sector are increasingly challenging, even without the COVID-19 pandemic. A tuition cut and freeze for students in Ontario has meant a reduction in revenue for Grebel by $227,000 this year.

Tables are Filled!

“We are thrilled by the generous response from alumni, parents, and other supporters,” said Roger Kehl, who serves as Grebel’s Board representative on the Fill the Table Fundraising Advisory committee, at the February Board meeting.

Construction Proceeds

Director of Operations Paul Penner reports that “the Ontario Ministry of Labour gave permission to continue the construction of Grebel’s new kitchen and dining room expansion, in spite of restrictions brought about by COVID-19. The general contractor, Nith Valley Construction, is proceeding very carefully and has numerous safeguards in place, including limiting the number of workers on site at any given time.

Arnie Dyck's Legacy Remembered

Alumni, family groups, friends and roommates from throughout Grebel’s history have joined together to name tables—a symbolic level of donation to the kitchen and dining room project. One of these tables has been named for Arnie Dyck (1945–2017) by his family and friends.

Alumni Take Grassroots Approach to Fundraising

Grebel alumni are taking a grassroots approach to fundraising for the Fill the Table capital campaign.

Campaign Shifts to Trays

Over $4m in donations are needed to make the kitchen and dining room project financially feasible.

Construction Update

“The kitchen and dining room project continues to hold our attention and imagination,” reported President Marcus Shantz.

The Grebel Fund: Balancing Budget Pressures and Student Support

Grebel has committed to providing $225,000 in financial aid to students, despite a drop in revenues due to provincial cuts.

Grebel Has Broken Ground for New Kitchen and Dining Room

On April 23, Student Council president Madeleine Neufeld was one of the participants putting a silver spade in the ground to officially start the next building project at Grebel, which will expand and enhance the kitchen and dining room. Her participation is part of a long family tradition of building projects at Grebel. In 1963 her Grandfather John Neufeld was part of the building committee for the original college building.

Record Donor Support Directly Benefits Students

This has been a record setting year for donations at Grebel. April 30 is our fiscal year-end, and the total number of donations of $2.8m has eclipsed the previous high water mark of $2,288,645 set in 2012-13 during our last capital campaign. This year, donors established three new endowed scholarship awards in addition to adding thousands to existing scholarship award funds.

The Secret Ingredient in Grebel Food

This winter, the University of Waterloo declared not one, but two, campus closures due to inclement weather. While most staff enjoyed a day off, it was business as usual for the Food Services staff at Grebel.

Annual Grebel Fund helps us be hospitable

Each year, we provide an opportunity for alumni and supporters to give students and programs a vote of confidence by making a gift to the Grebel Fund.

Fill the Table

A New Kitchen and Dining Room Will Make Space for Community

Since the College was first built more than 55 years ago, Grebel’s residence has grown, apartments were added, and our classrooms, library, archives and other academic program spaces have all expanded dramatically. However, our kitchen and dining room are largely the same as they were in 1964. It’s now time to reinvest in these important facilities.  We’re pleased to share plans to build a new kitchen and dining room, which we hope to begin in May 2019.