Donor Stories
Read Some of Our Donor Stories
Explore how donors like you have made a meaningful impact through their thoughtful estate planning and testamentary gifts to Mercy University. Discover the personal motivations and inspiring journeys behind their decision to support our cause, and learn how their generosity has shaped the future of our organization.
As you read these heartfelt narratives, we hope you will be inspired by the generosity of our donors and the incredible ways in which planned giving can leave a lasting legacy for generations to come. If you are considering making a planned gift or would like more information on how to support our organization in this meaningful way, we are here to help you navigate your philanthropic journey.
Join us in honoring these remarkable individuals and discover how you too can make a difference through planned giving.
Jerry Polito
Jerry Polito Uses Bequest to Support Future Students and Say “Thanks” for His Mercy Experience
Jerry Polito ’83 appreciates the outstanding education he received at Mercy, which is why he has established a bequest in a trust to support future Mavs.
Already a loyal annual contributor, Jerry added a planned gift to his legacy in appreciation for the help he received while earning his degrees in business administration and management.
Monique Caubere
Monique Caubere to Endow Scholarship Fund with Bequest to Support Graduate Students
Monique Caubere was born in France and moved to the U.S. with her family when she was 5. Now retired, Monique worked for more than 30 years in fundraising at various colleges—including as director of sponsored programs at Mercy from 2008 to 2015.
Michele S. Lee
Beloved Faculty Member and Alumna Leaves Generous Bequest to Support Students for Years to Come
Michele S. Lee, M.S. ‘06, a cherished librarian and faculty member at Mercy for nearly 30 years, left a generous bequest to Mercy when she passed away in 2021. Lee’s love of learning and desire to give others the same opportunities she was given prompted her to make such an impactful gift. It gave Michele tremendous joy knowing her contribution to Mercy in the form of a bequest would impact students for years to come.
Johanna Cushing
A Special Place in her Heart
We are pleased to welcome Johanna Cushing to The Ronnenberg Society. Johanna is a proud alumna from the class of 1966. As many know, the class of 1966 was only the second class of graduates at Mercy. Johanna was part of a tight-knit, all female class that was the foundation for Mercy’s mission of educating young women.
Walter Anderson
Walter Anderson ’72, HD ’89 Leaves Legacy to Mercy University
To say that Walter Anderson ’72, HD ’89 rose from difficult beginnings to achieve success and happiness is a profound understatement. To escape a violent home and an alcoholic father, he dropped out of high school as a teenager and joined the U.S. Marines. After serving in Vietnam as a sergeant, and armed with a GED, he returned home ready to build a new life.
Elizabeth Brown
Alumna Makes Mercy a Beneficiary in Her Will to "Pay It Forward"
I am the youngest of three children raised by a single mother who had to turn to the welfare system when I was 2 years old. Although I was a poor, inner-city kid from Washington Heights, I knew I was smart—and school came easily to me. My good grades allowed me to attend Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, New York. I took an accounting course; and not only did I do well in it, but I was excited about it!
Ramon Cordies
"I give back because I am grateful."
When Ramon Cordies came to the United States in 1962 as a 14-year old with his family, he couldn’t have imagined what his life in a new country would become with a new culture and a new language to learn. Fifty years later, he looks back humbly on the opportunities that Mercy gave him and is so grateful for his experience that he has donated to the University since 1988.
