Comprehensive Resource Campaign
Mary
Jo Monson Gift Reflects a Nurse’s Heart
Mary Jo Monson received her R.N. degree from Mounds-Midway School of Nursing, an institution that represented the finest principles of Christian nursing. When Mounds-Midway closed in 1983, the school gave significant funds to help students graduate from a new nursing program at Bethel that shared the same values. Today, Bethel nursing students benefit from two Mounds-Midway endowed scholarships.
Since Mary Jo’s alma mater lives on in Bethel’s nursing program, it seemed natural for this caring philanthropist to continue investing in future generations of nurses. She recently contributed $1 million to Bethel’s Taking the Next Step campaign, with half of her gift designated for the University Commons, and half for the endowment. President George Brushaber has proposed that a new room in University Commons be named in honor of Mounds-Midway and appointed with furnishings by Mary Jo, who spends hours as volunteer curator of the Mounds-Midway School of Nursing Historical Society in St. Paul.
“Bethel is a school that God is using to change lives,” says
Mary Jo who, with her husband, David Monson, saw all of their children
attend Bethel. “It is tremendous that all of these students are
being educated and going out into the world, holding various positions
in different areas of life, and being effective. We’re just all
the way for Bethel. It is a fantastic university.”