Seeing Hope and Joy Up Close and In Person Fuels Couple’s Growing Generosity
For Jerry and Anita Mansholt, witnessing lives transformed by We Raise Foundation inspires their growing support for the organization.
Both were raised in Lutheran congregations. They knew of We Raise (formerly Wheat Ridge Ministries) mostly through the use of its Christmas Seals. But after accepting an invitation to join the We Raise Board of Directors in 2023, Jerry says he and Anita “gained a much deeper appreciation for the work they’re doing today. That’s when we began donating.”
In the years since, the couple has visited several We Raise grantee partners as part of each Board of Directors meeting, where they’ve encountered individuals who radiate hope, joy, energy, and a determination to embrace new opportunities and move beyond their past.
At Concordia Place in Chicago, they spoke with students thriving through education, leadership development, and family support. “You can see young people flourishing,” Anita says. “And their parents were learning new skills also.”
During a visit to Kingdom Prep Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, the couple enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and hamburgers prepared by students learning culinary skills. “The young man who served us was so excited to tell us about the toppings and sides he’d helped make,” Anita remembers. She could sense his pride in being entrusted with – and successfully meeting – an important responsibility.
Jerry was similarly impressed when touring the MAAFA Redemption Project in Chicago, which received critically needed major funding through the generosity of We Raise donors. Serving resilient Black and Brown young men, MAAFA provides safe residential support, mentorship, workforce and academic training, spiritual and character development, and wraparound services—equipping young men to thrive, become community leaders, and help build a stronger future for their community.
“We are meeting people who face incredibly difficult circumstances but now have opportunities to discover gifts they didn’t know they had,” Jerry says. “In some very creative and collaborative ways, We Raise is giving people hope and the desire to make the most of their lives.”
Jerry appreciates the strategies that go beyond granting funds. “We Raise closely partners with other major funders to multiply its impact, provides direct coaching to grantees’ leadership, and positions smaller nonprofits to attract larger charitable investors.”
Inspired by the impact they are seeing, Jerry and Anita recently deepened their support of We Raise by making a Qualified Charitable Distribution from their IRA.
The couple believes that amid so many great needs all around us, effective charities like We Raise merit strong backing. “We Raise affirms the dignity of every person. Anita and I want to spread the word, inviting others – people who want to make a difference in our world through God’s love in Christ – to join us.”
The Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Mansholt is a retired pastor and former synod bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He and Anita are parents to two married daughters and four grandchildren, and today enjoy traveling and attending Cardinal baseball games from their home in St. Louis.
