Bob and Brenda McDonell

Bob and Brenda McDonell love living near Wheaton College. For many years, they hired Wheaton College students to work in their business, and at church they have taught Sunday school classes alongside Wheaton students and faculty. They also enjoy attending Wheaton sporting events, concerts, and theater productions. The parents of two Wheaton graduates (Kathi ’82 and Kevin ’88) say, “We appreciate the work ethic and faith of the students with whom we have associated. Wheaton College is a great asset to our community.”

Bob’s professional relationships have also kept him engaged with Wheaton. “I’m a ServiceMaster guy, and our company was pretty much founded by Wheaton College guys—Marion Wade, Ken Hansen, Ken Wessner, Bill Pollard. Wheaton College is pretty much in my blood.”

Bob says Brenda’s father got the couple thinking about providing for “Kingdom causes” through estate planning. “His values rang true, and we decided that we would like to incorporate those values in our estate plan as well. We spoke with one or two other organizations and became convinced that Wheaton College had the best estate planning program that could facilitate our needs and provide for our various ‘Kingdom causes.’”

The McDonells consulted Wheaton’s gift planning team. “They showed us a plan that was very thorough and organized,” says Bob. “It addressed all of our concerns and was tailored to fit our special requests. We were impressed by their knowledge and kindness and genuine interest.” The McDonells decided to name Wheaton as successor trustee on their revocable living trust.

“We have always admired the emphasis on missions and the high academic standards that have spread all over the world from Wheaton College,” Bob says. “Our hope is that Wheaton College will continue to use the Bible as the foundation for academic teaching and training. We would like our gift to be used to guide students to serve God in their professions and lives and have an influence on the culture of our children’s children.”