Donor Profiles
Meet Tonya (Schwers) ’97 and Corey Schmidt ’98 of Batavia, Ill., both licensed professionals with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Tonya and Corey knew each other while they were at Luther, but they didn’t date until after graduation.
A decade out of college and now with a family (they have two young sons, Tyler and Trevor), the Schmidts lead busy lives, but they still find time to serve Luther, their community, and their church.
Tonya and Corey both serve on the Luther College Annual Fund Council and Tonya recently provided leadership for her class during their 10-year reunion campaign.
At home in Batavia, she is promotions chair for Batavia MainStreet and actively involved at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Batavia.
Corey is involved at their church, too, as chair of the stewardship and endowment committees; he is also on the Chicago board of Feed My Starving Children. He, too, was actively engaged in his 10-year reunion campaign.
The Schmidts have been loyal Luther College Annual Fund donors since making their Alumni Challenge pledges during their senior years.
And Corey took it a step further when he organized a group of five young Thrivent (then Lutheran Brotherhood) agents to sponsor the Class of 2000 Alumni Challenge.
Corey talks about their giving this way: “We have been incredibly blessed in the lives that we lead, and it only seems right to give back to those organizations that have had major impact on our lives.”
Tonya adds, “I was a recipient of gifts from alumni when I was a student, and now it’s my turn to give to current students.”
The Schmidts treasure the lasting friendships begun during their Luther years. “We truly feel that our experiences at Luther are unique from those of friends and relatives who went to other colleges and universities. We both keep in touch with our friends from Luther, and these relationships are our closest and most cherished.”
Tonya (Schwers) and Corey Schmidt—making a difference at Luther College by investing in the lives of students.
Interested in seeing other donor profiles? Click on the links below to view their stories:
