Donor Spotlight: Nancy & Roger McCabe

NANCY & ROGER MCCABE DONOR SPOTLIGHT

A passion for giving back

After listening to a presentation about the history and legacy of William and Kate Dunwoody during a Women’s Club program a year ago, Nancy McCabe knew she wanted to find out more about the College that bore their name.

“When I got home, I told Roger that we have to look into this,” Nancy recalled.

Soon after, the couple came to campus for a tour — and walked away knowing they wanted to help out in some way.

From those first meetings, the “Got Your Six” fund was created. The fund provides emergency and scholarship support to veteran and military students at the College. Created through a generous donation from the Roger and Nancy McCabe Foundation, it allows Dunwoody’s Financial Aid Office to step in when veteran and military students face gaps in educational benefits or have emergency funding needs, such as transportation and housing issues, delayed Veterans Administration benefit payments, and other unforeseen obstacles to attendance.

Establishing the assistance program through a dedicated fund also means that other people can step in and help. In fact, the McCabes invite others to join them by contributing to the “Got Your Six” fund and help ensure that veteran and military students are able to pursue their education and dreams after serving our country.

Supporting veteran programs isn’t new to the McCabes. Growing up during the Vietnam era, the McCabes have always had an affinity to those who serve and have continually sought out ways to ensure service men and women have the resources they need. This includes funding scholarships for veteran students at other universities, such as Metropolitan State University.

They also support the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund, which provides grants to Minnesota service members who have served in a combat zone since Sept. 11, 2001; FOLDS OF HONOR, which provides scholarships to children of veteran and military families; and Dogs for our Brave (dogsforourbrave.com). With Dunwoody, the McCabes were motivated to help after hearing about the history of the founders and the mission of the school, spending time on campus, and meeting Anthony Rush, one of the College’s veteran students.

The couple, who have been married for 16 years, live in Wayzata and spend a lot of their time giving back to the community.

They are supporters of MATTER, a global nonprofit that works to move people forward by eliminating barriers to a healthier life. Through their work with the organization, the McCabes have traveled annually to Senegal in Africa with The Gorgui Dieng Project in Dakar, which they established in partnership with Minnesota Timberwolves player Gorgui Dieng to elevate the quality of healthcare for the people of Senegal, where Dieng is from. Through the program, they also established the Roger & Nancy McCabe Dialysis Center, which provides life-saving dialysis to patients in need.

This year will mark the fifth year the McCabes will travel to Senegal to see the progress of the program.

“It’s very gratifying to be able to help those in need, and we are fortunate to be able to do that,” Nancy said.

The McCabes give of their time as well, volunteering regularly for places like the St. Louis Park Emergency Food Shelf; Assistance League of Minneapolis/St. Paul, which provides help for women and children; Opportunity International, which provides micro-grants for women to help get them and their families out of poverty.

“When you volunteer, you get to see how you are impacting those who need help, and you feel good about that,” Roger said.

Volunteering and giving back is something the McCabes encourage others to do as well.