Can you tell a story about Lake Michigan Catholic's S.C.E.N.E Auction without including the name Chris Glendening?
Graduating as a Lake Michigan Catholic Laker in 1971, just two years after the St. John Irish & St. Joe Ponies merged, Chris (Jaskiewicz) Glendening's entrepreneurial spirit propelled her into a life of service. Service to Faith. Service to Family. Service to Community.
When the S.C.E.N.E Auction began in 1986, Chris Glendening was there working on every committee she could to help support the faith, community, and school she passionately believed in.
She spent the next 15 years avidly volunteering for our School and Church in every way imaginable. Among the many fundraising events and volunteer activities she engaged in on behalf of the school, she also began the Cub Scouts Program for Lake Michigan Catholic and re-invigorated the Boy Scouts Program associated with the school.
In 2001, after proving that socializing and fundraising was her specialty, she was officially hired by the school as Director of Development and worked tirelessly on all Fundraising and Advancement activities. From S.C.E.N.E, to SCRIPT, Flower, & Magazine Sales, to the Rummage Sale. Chris Glendening never missed out on an opportunity to create an influx of funds that would advance the mission, vision, and purpose of Lake Michigan Catholic Schools.
During her time with LMC she took her passion for her hobbies, gardening & cooking, to further Lake Michigan Catholic Schools. If you happened to stop by the Elementary School in the summer she could be seen pulling weeds, planting flowers from her own garden, or trimming bushes in her "spare" time. One of the first donations to the S.C.E.N.E Auction was a "Christmas Dinner" where she welcomed you and guests with open arms and heart, into her home at Christmas time for a home cooked meal. This also translated into the Summer Cookout, where she would sell tickets to a feast of a meal for all those willing to enjoy the company of the Lake Michigan Catholic Community.
What drove her seemingly boundless "bulldog" energy was her belief in Catholic Education for the Community. The friends she gained along the way and the education she herself received, built in her a work ethic, belief in, and passion for Catholic Education. After graduating herself, she went on to send both her children (Bryan & Allan) and support her Grandchildren (Katelyn and Allison ) in their Catholic Education journey.
She loved children and believed that children and a foundation in faith would always help a community pull through, no matter what it was going through.
On the 35th Anniversary of an activity she was involved in from the beginning, Chris Glendening, you are truly the embodiment of a HomeGrown Hero. Thank you for your belief in this institution to your last breath. May we always continue the legacy and foundation you have set us on.
Chris Glendening July 1953 - July 2020