Supporting the Garrett-Evanston Freedom School Is “a Perfect Match” for the Wilbur Family

When Jay and Billie Wilbur learned of the capital campaign to fund the Rueben P. Job Endowed Chair of Spiritual Formation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, they decided to act. “Helping to fully fund that position presented our family with the opportunity to make a lasting difference in the life of the students and The United Methodist Church,” said Billie Wilbur.

Since that gift in 2012, the Wilburs have continued to make a difference at Garrett-Evangelical. Billie joined the Board of Trustees in 2016 and served on the development committee. The family also supports the seminary’s child advocacy work and helped fund the Garrett-Evanston Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program, a six-week summer literacy program for third to eighth graders in Evanston.

“Poor children, particularly those from communities of color, do not have access to enough resources for enrichment,” Billie said, explaining why this program appealed to her. “After school and summer programs are important aspects of learning, and Freedom Schools offer those opportunities to children who need them the most.”

Billie and her husband have long supported child advocacy work. In addition to funding the CDF Freedom Schools® at Garrett-Evangelical, the couple supports The Covenant House, which provides shelter to LGBTQ, pregnant, and young adults facing homelessness. They are also longtime supporters of The Methodist Children’s Home, and they recently began supporting Imagine Worldwide, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing literacy and numeracy proficiency to children around the world. “Supporting the collaboration between CDF and Garrett-Evangelical felt like a perfect match for us,” Billie said.

Garrett-Evangelical’s open and affirming environment for all students and its emphasis on spiritual formation are two of the reasons the Wilburs were drawn to Garrett-Evangelical. They also appreciate the education GarrettEvangelical provides.

“As United Methodists in a rural setting, we saw how important seminary-educated pastors and staff are to the life of a congregation,” Billie said. “The opportunity to support programs at Garrett-Evangelical gives us the ability to impact our faith community for generations.”