REAL STORIES of IMPACT
MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT
Reflecting on the past year, I am filled with gratitude for your unwavering support of Liberty University. Your contributions enable us to Train Champions for Christ, and in 2024, your generosity profoundly impacted the lives of our students and the communities they serve.
I’m honored to share with you Real Stories of Impact. These are just a few of the many testimonies of transformation and hope that represent the power of your support and the enduring legacy you help create.
You’ll read of a remarkable student, Lyric, who received a donor-funded scholarship. This scholarship did more than just alleviate Lyric’s financial
burdens — it empowered her to pursue her dreams and academic goals with renewed vigor and determination.
Also highlighted is the Louderback family, who gave to the School of Nursing in honor of their daughter, Kristen. This gift has enabled us to enhance our nursing program, ensuring that our students are well-equipped to provide compassionate and skilled care. Your support was instrumental in Liberty’s hurricane disaster relief efforts as well. Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, groups of dedicated students, fueled by your donations, assisted in cleanup operations and delivered essential supplies to survivors. These groups served as the hands and feet of Jesus as they brought relief to many.
As we celebrate these stories, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:3-5: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all
my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now.”
At Liberty University, our mission is to develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting the world. You play a vital role in this mission, and we are deeply grateful for your partnership.
Thank you for making a tangible difference in the lives of our students.
May God bless you for all you’ve done for Liberty University and His Kingdom.
In Him,
Dondi E. Costin, Ph.D. President
STUDENT IMPACT WHERE GOD SENDS, HE PROVIDES:
Lyric's Story
In my senior year of high school, I started considering what kind of college environment would be best for me. I determined that I wanted people around me who were pursuing purity, integrity, and, most of all, Jesus. I asked God what school He was calling me to, and Liberty University was the one. I had no idea how I was going to afford it, but I applied and was accepted.
Before completing Financial Check-In, I was crying on my closet floor, asking God to provide a way for me to make the first payment. My mom kept reminding me that where God sends, He provides, and to trust His plan.
When I received a scholarship, I was shocked, but then I remembered what my mom had told me, and I knew that this is where God called me to be. This scholarship has allowed me to pursue my degree in graphic design in a place where my academic and biblical knowledge are expanded while my spiritual well-being is nurtured.
I’ve learned in my classes that no matter what we are doing, we can share Jesus with the people around us. I plan to use my education and experiences from Liberty to impact the world for Christ by making God’s Word known through my designs.
I would like to thank the donors who make it possible for students like me to attend Liberty University. I cannot put into words how grateful I am to be at this school that I love. I’m thankful for the chance to pursue my education here without the worry of how to afford the next semester. You have changed my life.
LYRIC Graphic Design School of Communication & the Arts
DONOR IMPACT
FUELING FUTURE NURSES:
The Louderbacks' Story
Kristen Louderback (’24) pursued her passion at Liberty University’s School of Nursing, where she developed the expertise to care for her patients while demonstrating the love of Christ. As a gesture of thankfulness on her behalf and in support of those who will follow in her footsteps, Kristen’s parents, Scott and Andrea, made a generous donation to fund new equipment for the school’s Simulation Center.
The donation paid for the replacement of some of the school’s hospital beds and the purchase of two MedVision Auscultation Task Trainer (MATT) devices, which are life-size recreations of the head and torso of an adult and child
with visible and audible representations of the heart, lungs, and abdomen. The MATTs will also be available to undergraduate and doctoral students and faculty outside of the lab.
A plaque bearing Kristen’s name and the lab’s new title, the Louderback Fundamental Skills Lab, was unveiled on Feb. 23, 2024. After the unveiling, Scott Louderback was invited to share his heart regarding the donation: “Kristen was passionate about having a Christian education, about being somewhere that would align with her faith, and (she) picked a great program. It was important to us to give back and honor the school that honored our wishes and values when we sent her here. We need more nurses who rely on Christ and their faith to provide care, and we couldn’t think of a better place than Liberty University.”
After seeing the plaque bearing her name, Kristen remarked, “My experience here at Liberty has been wonderful, and I feel like all the professors are so invested in our lives. This is a great testament to how many people have poured into my life. The Lord has given me such amazing opportunities as I’ve studied here, and I hope that all future students will be just as inspired as I was.”
How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of Whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?
AS IT IS WRITTEN:
‘
HOW BEAUTIFUL
are the feet of those who bring GOOD NEWS! ’
ROMANS 10:14-15
DONOR-DRIVEN
DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS
Soon after Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated communities in several states, President Dondi E. Costin announced that Liberty University would match up to $1 million in donations for hurricane disaster relief efforts.
“We do this because our university’s mission is to Train Champions for Christ,” Costin said in an interview on ABC News. “We want students to understand that the best way to live is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need help. This is our opportunity to show the world that Jesus Christ loves them with an everlasting love. We get to meet physical needs, emotional needs, and spiritual needs as opportunities arise.”
Donations to the Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund went entirely toward relief efforts, whether for much-needed supplies or the mobilization of LU’s disaster response teams. In the weeks that followed Costin’s announcement, Liberty sent teams to serve several of the impacted communities, including Boone, N.C., Valdosta, Ga., and Perry, Fla. These trips, sponsored by the LU Serve Now program in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Blessing, prioritized assisting homeowners with debris cleanup, mud outs, and roof tarping, as well as meeting spiritual and emotional needs.
WE MU S T STRIVE
to be the HANDS and FEET of JESUS, reaching out to THOSE in NEED.
DR. JERRY FALWELL
Liberty University was built and is sustained by many members of Christ’s body united in one mission. Since Dr. Falwell first shared his vision for the school, generous donors like you have given faithfully — even sacrificially — so Liberty can train men and women to be Christ’s ambassadors in their communities and professions. Thanks to your support, these Champions for Christ go out from Liberty prepared to take the Gospel to a lost world.
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. … Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
1 CORINTHIANS 12:12, 27
MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE of
DEVELOPMENT
Your generosity has been the cornerstone of the remarkable transformations we witnessed throughout 2024. The stories you’ve read here are testaments to the profound impact your support has made on our students and the broader community.
Living generously is the best way to live because we are made in the image of God, Who is the ultimate example of generosity. Your acts of kindness reflect His love and provision, making a lasting difference in the lives of many.
Your gifts not only sustain our mission, but also inspire us to strive for greater heights. I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and all that we can achieve together in 2025.
Thank you for being a vital part of our Liberty family. May God bless you abundantly for your kindness and generosity.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Brian Mentzer Executive Vice President Office of Development