Joe and Jayne Poland Schreck ’91

Brief bio: Both the Schrecks started at Monmouth around the same time. Jayne enrolled as a student from nearby Abingdon, Ill., in 1986. Joe began working for the physical plant as a carpenter and locksmith in 1988. Today, Jayne is associate vice president for student financial planning.

Their gifts: For the past 23 years, Monmouth College has received a gift from at least one of the staff members. Jayne’s gifts began when she joined the staff in 1994, and Joe was moved to give to Monmouth by former administrator Dick Valentine. “He encouraged employees to support the College, and that it didn’t have to be a lot. He told us it really made a difference in recruiting students – that it means a lot when all of the employees are giving a little back.”

Why she gives: “In my job, I see how many students don’t have the opportunity to be here,” said Jayne. “Giving to make a Monmouth education possible is important to me.”

What Monmouth means to her: “I experienced firsthand the transformation that Monmouth provides for students,” said Jayne, whose two children also enjoyed the Monmouth experience, graduating in 2014 and 2017. “It wasn’t as much about the facts that I learned here, it’s that I learned how to learn – that Monmouth taught me how to think, to explore, to learn. I want other students to experience Monmouth, too. When you believe in it that much, it’s easy to give.”