Colinas Honored for Their Commitment to Giving
A commitment to helping others who are less fortunate has brought
some well-earned recognition to former Alma College trustee John Colina
and his wife, Nancy.
The Colinas, the parents of two Alma College alumni, founded the Colina
Foundation in 1992 to help at-risk children in southern Wayne County.
The nonprofit foundation gives between $100,000 and $140,000 each year.
In recognition of its contributions to philanthropy and volunteerism,
the Southgate-based foundation received the Outstanding Foundation
Award from the Greater Detroit Chapter of the Association of
Fundraising Professionals at the 16th annual National Philanthropy Day
Gala Nov. 15 at the Dearborn Inn.
John Colina
John credits the couple’s Christian faith and the Biblical admonition “to those who have been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” for their commitment to giving.
“As a Christian, you have a responsibility through stewardship to give
back to others,” he says. “We get a lot of satisfaction of seeing lives
turned around.”
The Colinas also have supported Alma College in multiple ways.
The Colina Library Wing, an 8,000-square-foot library addition to the
Kehrl Building, was made possible by a $1 million gift from the
Colinas. The wing, which opened in 1996 and remodeled in 2006, houses
student study areas, the Writing Center, Highland Java Cafe, the M.J.J.
Smith Room, the Olofsson Computer Classroom, the Stephen R. Christner
Memorial Study Room and the John R. Smith Study Room.
John and Nancy also have supported the construction of Wright Hall and
student scholarships. They remain committed to the Alma College mission.
“For a successful state and country, we need leaders who understand
ethics,” says John. “Alma is well on its way of leading the
process of creating ethical leaders. We need that as a society.
“The opportunities young people have at Alma are unique. As alumni and
parents need to support the College, the students also need to
understand the opportunities available to them,” he says.
John and Nancy first became acquainted with Alma when their daughters,
JoMarie Colina George ’89 and Lori Colina Lee ’90, began attending as
students. John and Nancy joined and served on the Parent Board for four
years. John was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1989.
“When our daughters started at Alma, we noticed that full
professors were teaching the freshmen courses instead of graduate
students, which was outstanding to us,” he says.
John stepped off the Board of Trustees in 2007 after 18 years on the
board. He was involved in the development of the Evergreen Plan, a
1990s college planning document, along with improvements in the
physical structure of campus and monitoring student enrollment trends.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE — The Colinas’ gifts to Alma College support the
$35.25 million Open Windows Campaign, which focuses on strengthening
student opportunities that build on and enhance classroom learning.
John Colina serves on the Campaign Cabinet, which works closely with
President Saundra Tracy and Vice President for Advancement Carol Hyble
to provide leadership for the major fund-raising effort.
The Campaign continues to progress, with total funds received as of
Dec. 10 at $28,521,187, which represents 80.9 percent of the goal. More
than 8,200 donors, from a database of approximately 14,500, have
contributed to the Campaign over the past four years and five months.
Additional information about the Campaign and ways of giving can be found on the Open Windows Campaign Website.
Posted: Wed, December 19th, 2007 at 8:08AM
