Community & Alumni Blog
Bridge-builder Profile: Paul and Joani Neufeldt
Paul and Joani (Goerzen) Neufeldt were both taught growing up that tithing is important. So when they married, they decided to regularly give away at least 10 per cent of their gross income.
When Joani gave birth to their son Cayden three years ago, the couple had their wills written and they thought about their giving plan even more.
"We realized we needed to have a better planned giving system," Joani says. "It wasn't that we had anything to bequest [at the time], but we thought having a plan and knowing where we were going forward would be good."
The Neufeldts donate money to causes they feel passionate about. Most of the money they donate goes to their church, Lethbridge Mennonite, in Lethbridge, Alberta. They also give to Camp Valaqua, a summer camp where they both attended and worked as staff; Mennonite Central Committee's Global Family program; and breast cancer research.
Recently, the Neufeldts contributed to CMU's Be a Bridge Builder campaign. Paul received an Undergraduate Certificate in Christian Studies from CMU in 2002, and Joani graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Biblical and Theological Studies, in 2006.
Joani says the couple wanted to contribute to the new Library, Learning Commons and Bridge because they recognize it's a facility the university needs and it is a vast improvement over CMU's current library.
"When I saw the design for the new library, with all the windows and light, I thought, that's a library where I would have stayed and studied and done reading and worked on group projects," she says.
The Neufeldts also want to give back to CMU because of how the university has impacted their lives. Paul, who works as a mechanical engineer at the family business his grandfather started, knew after high school that he would go into engineering, but he wanted to do a year of Christian studies first.
"That year influenced how I see things—how I integrate my faith in the engineering profession," he says. "I see it in how I approach different problems, how I interact with different people, and how I work on different contracts with different employers."
Joani says that when she first came to CMU, it quickly became home.
"I really discovered my faith and who I was while I was at CMU," she says, adding that she has been involved on committees at church ever since attending the university.
"CMU definitely shaped how I've been involved in churches since graduating."
Joani says that at this stage in life, she and Paul may not have a lot of money, but they don't let that stop them from giving.
"Giving of all you have is important, and even if you can only give $5 or $10, it's valued," she says. "I think sometimes our generation forgets that even giving a little is giving a lot."
Find out how you can become a Bridge Builder by going here and clicking on "Alumni: Buy a Tile."
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