Inspire, Fall/Winter 2011

Alumni of the Year Award Harry ’96 and Echo (Tuinstra) VanderWal ’98 Harry and Echo felt called to serve God in medical missions as young children. Following graduation, both pursued advanced degrees in medicine — Harry attended Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and finished his residency in 2006, and Echo graduated from Kettering College of Medical Arts as a physician assistant. In 2005, they founded The Luke Commission (TLC), a faith-based, nonprofit health care organization operating in Swaziland, South Africa. Harry and Echo serve as executive directors while working with a teamof highly trainedSwazis todeliver comprehensive health care clinics to 25,000 rural patients a year. TLC’s mobile clinics serve as an avenue to share the love and hope of Christ with those who are physically and spiritually broken. TLC serves the most isolated and underserved population of rural Swaziland by treating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Harry and Echo live in Swaziland with their 10-year-old triplets, Luke, Jacob, and Zebadiah, and a 7-year-old son, Zion. Distinguished Service Award Bryan Waggoner ’77 As a youth pastor in Brownsburg, Indiana, Bryan began bringing students in his youth group to visit Cedarville College, a yearly practice that continued for 25 years. As a result, dozens of students from Brownsburg enrolled at Cedarville. In 1979, while an intern at Bethesda Baptist Church, he helped coordinate a new training retreat for Cedarville’s Christian ministry teams. This retreat has continued for 32 years as Bryan now serves as executive pastor at Bethesda. The partnership has saved the University thousands of dollars and influenced hundreds of Cedarville students. Bryan is enthusiastic about Cedarville students and regularly makes the trip from Indiana to Cedarville to attend HeartSong events. “I thoroughly enjoy meeting the students, praying for and with them, and encouraging them in any way possible. It’s my way to pay forward for the investment Cedarville has made in my life.” Bryan and his wife, Sheri (Levin) ’80, have four children: Jess ’06, JB ’09, Korinna ’14, and Caleb. One Another Mindset Award Jearl Ward ’81 Even as a student, Jearl was intentional about building friendships with Cedarville leadership, professors, staff, and students to help increase awareness of the differences and needs of minority students at Cedarville. From 2002–2005, he served on the African- American Advisory Council to help frame the organizational direction for Cedarville’s multicultural activities. During those years, he worked on multiple committees and was a consultant to Dr. Dixon’s team regarding issues of student recruitment, admission and retention, trustee appointments, faculty and staff hiring, and chapel programming. He has served as a member of Cedarville’s alumni council since 2005 and has chaired the alumni council diversity committee since 2010. The committee’s mission is “to help expand the scope, thinking, and planning efforts of the Alumni Association toward actions that facilitate increased diversity of membership, connection, support, and participation at Cedarville sponsored activities.” Jearl and his wife, Jessica, reside in Maryland. They have four daughters: Jerica ’09, Jernelle ’11, Jerielle ’14, and Jervonne. Young Alumnus of the Year Award Cody Fisher ’09 Dr. Jeff Cook’s urban ministries class changed Cody’s life forever. In a weekend poverty simulation, students lived as homeless people begging for money, eating out of dumpsters, and collecting cans for what little money they would bring. “From that point on,” he said, “I wasn’t content to love from a distance.” After graduation, Cody began working for an NGO helping to rebuild Iraq. He has now made Iraq his home, choosing to learn what it means to love his neighbor. The effects of war, malnutrition, poverty, lack of basic health care, and intra-family marriages have taken a toll, and hundreds of Iraqi children are born with heart defects. In 2007, Cody founded the Preemptive Love Coalition, a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide lifesaving heart surgeries for Iraqi children in the pursuit of peace. Through that organization he began to send the most critical children overseas to Israel and Turkey for lifesaving surgeries. Cody lives in Iraq with his wife, Michelle. Alumni Impact Award Rachel Reno ’00 “My love for God’s Word deepened during my four years at Cedarville through times of prayer, chapel, and Bible classes,” said Rachel. “I learned how to live my faith as a teacher. God used Cedarville to give me a great love for people and walking in relationship with them.” Rachel’s deepest joy in teaching is in discipling her students at Xenia Christian High School. Many of her students through the past 11 years name her as one of the most influential people in their lives. Sami SanGregory ’12, who nominated Rachel for this award, said, “Rachel was the best teacher I had in high school. She invested her life into the lives of her students. I miss being blessed daily by this incredible woman of God!” Rachel teaches 11th and 12th grade English and junior high girls’ Bible at Xenia Christian where she also serves as counselor for the girls. Honorary Alumnus Travis (Lew) Gibbs Known around campus as “Mr. G,” Lew directed Cedarville’s career services office for 15 years, broadening its role and reputation to become one of the top career offices in the country. Lew came to Cedarville after 31 years in management at IBM. He brought a marketing approach to a discipline predominately focused on counseling. His priority was to aggressively network with alumni and parents to tap into their potential as hiring influencers. His connections with alumni across the country and the world have accomplished that objective. Cedarville now enjoys the favor of many prominent employers. A sought after speaker on career-related subjects, he has represented Cedarville University appearing on local cable TV and national Christian radio and has also been published in numerous journals and periodicals. Lew retired from his role at Cedarville in June and has begun a consulting business. He and his wife, Sheron, have three children, all Cedarville graduates, and five grandchildren. 2011 Alumni Award Winners Left to right: Harry ’96 and Echo (Tuinstra) VanderWal ’98, Jearl Ward ’81, Rachel Reno ’00, Travis (Lew) Gibbs, and Bryan Waggoner ’77 If you would like to contact a friend highlighted in this section, please email us at alumni@cedarville.edu. We’d be glad to put you in touch. CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY 37 a lumnotes