Westmont Magazine Taking Action that Makes a Difference

A past principal in San Diego schools, Paul Preddy ’56 encourages Christians to get involved in public education. It’s challenging, but they can make a difference, he says.

Working with the poor and homeless isn’t easy, either. When Paul retired after a long career in public schools, he founded the Neighborhood Care Center. For 10 years, he directed this outreach for his church, earning a dollar a year. He helped set up All Care Prison Network to coordinate services for people coming out of prison.

Earlier, Paul and his wife, Nancy Vriend Preddy ’57, and their three children lived in Zaire for six years and helped establish a missionary school there.

Nancy worked for many years as a labor and delivery nurse. She hosted international students as a personal ministry and cared for her elderly father until his death. Like her husband, she seeks ways to serve.

The Preddys are clearly accustomed to taking action. So they weren’t sure that setting aside a specific percentage of their estate — as they initially intended — would be the best way for them to make a gift to Westmont.

“The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do something now,” Paul says. He and Nancy changed their plans and set up a deferred gift annuity. During their lifetime, they receive fixed payments, which provide retirement income. When they are gone, Westmont will get the gift they have already specified.

“It took away all the uncertainty about how much I would be able to give,” Paul says. “For people who aren’t wealthy, this is a good way to go. It’s satisfying to know exactly what we can do for Westmont.”

Paul and Nancy support Westmont because the college holds fast to its Christian commitment. “When President Gaede says, ‘We start with Jesus at Westmont,’ it resonates with us,” Paul explains. “We know we are giving to more than a school — we are supporting the development of Christian leaders who will make a difference.”

For more information about the Wallace Emerson Society, call Nancy Christel in the office of Gift Planning, (805) 565-6058 or (800) 998-5652.