Imagine couches filled with students enjoying free time after class in brightly lit student organization offices, or the latest NWC apparel displayed in the spacious new bookstore, or ice cream sundaes served in Northwestern’s brand-new dining center. On a beautiful fall day in September the advancement office helped the Northwestern community to imagine these things and more when they hosted an outdoor virtual tour of the new Community Life Commons (CLC) building.

More than 500 students, faculty and staff attended the event designed to help visualize the building—its size, specific location, offices and amenities—and to raise funds for it. “We are anticipating what God already has in mind for us,” said Monica Groves ’85, dean of student services, who shared the vision for this building as being “a tent of meeting, where we celebrate community in the deepest way possible.”

Betty Kraus ’07, assistant campaign director for Envision Excellence, announced the opportunity to purchase personalized bricks for the CLC patio, as a tangible way to be part of the building’s heritage. A few days after the outdoor event, John Mueller ’10, a resident assistant, came to Kraus’ office with a plastic bag full of small bills and pocket change—donations collected from his hall to buy a brick. This was just the beginning.

The CLC virtual tour alone helped raise more than $19,000 toward the building! Students, faculty and staff are catching the vision for this building and are supporting it through prayer, finances and enthusiasm.

Written by Rachelle Holm, director of annual giving at NWC.