A Sense of Community

"We believe in education, especially liberal arts education with strong values and social responsibility components. For us, that spells Central College."—Jim Vande Berg

For Jim and Kathy Vande Berg, both graduates of the class of 1960, Central College is all about relationships—with faculty, with family members, with classmates at reunions. But the most important relationship they developed at Central was with each other. "Central was where we met, fell in love and made a lifelong commitment to one another," Jim says.

Now Jim and Kathy are making a commitment to Central-an investment in its future. They look back fondly on their days here 50 years ago. "Central was a laboratory in a small setting providing opportunities to question, explore, succeed and fail (always within the context of a safety net) in many different areas," Kathy says.

But the couple is also excited about what Central has become since they graduated, and about the new avenues of education being explored at the college. As alumni, the Vande Bergs are proud of the great strides Central has made, especially in the past decade. That's why they decided to purchase a life insurance policy, naming Central as owner and beneficiary-because ultimately it will provide a significant gift for Central's future which they believe is rich and bright.

The Vande Bergs are grateful for the education and relationships the Central community has given them. By giving back, the couple is ensuring that more of those connections will be made, that the Central community will grow and thrive as it always has.