A Young Family’s Commitment to What Matters
When Renee Wolbert Baumgartner ’10 was a student at Saint Mary’s, she embraced the College’s class gift campaign where students were challenged to donate quarters based on their class year. First years gave one quarter, sophomores, two quarters, etc.
“By the time you're a senior, if you could give $1 that's all that we cared about,” Renee remembers, with a laugh. For four years, she was on the committee that ran the campaign. A computational mathematics major, Renee worked alongside students from other academic disciplines, regions of the country, and social interests. Being part of that committee connected her to her College in ways she could not imagine.
“Being involved then, really seeing the impact of students giving” was eye-opening for her. “It truly didn’t matter what you gave, it was the participation. All of it mattered.”
Renee learned that students who gave while they were in college are more likely to continue giving after graduation. True in her case, she began with a monthly contribution, one that allowed her to donate easily and regularly. As a young, single woman living in Chicago, and then later as she married and moved to Wisconsin, these monthly donations continued.
“I come from a family that donates,” she said. “It matters where you give your time and energy—we talk about that a lot. My brothers, my father, and now my husband, we see where our money goes and how it makes a difference. From the very beginning, Saint Mary's was that place for me where I want to make sure it continues to thrive.”
What began as a small annual gift while she was still enrolled in college has grown into a meaningful tradition of support, reflecting how Saint Mary’s remains part of Renee’s life story.
Recently, she and her husband Timothy (ND ’08), who make their home outside of Milwaukee, adjusted their family’s giving from monthly contributions to appreciated securities (stocks). “With our financial planner, we took a look at our stock investments, and talked over what we might do with the gains,” Renee said. He suggested donating stock can provide much-needed funds to a nonprofit organization while providing tax benefits for the donor.
“This stock gift is a nice way to do it for sure. I mean, the automatic monthly deduction was also really nice. It was a great way to give a significant amount of money throughout the year,” she said, knowing that either gift option will benefit students. “Going to school at Saint Mary’s is a true investment. But it is such a special place. I don't want the cost to be a reason someone can't go or worry about that burden.I just want our gift to allow students to truly have the types of experiences I had.”
Renee’s experiences were life-changing. The Flint, Michigan native was the first in her family to attend Saint Mary’s and develop an in-person connection to Notre Dame. “My grandpa was an Irish Catholic who grew up always loving Notre Dame, of course, but my brothers went to Michigan and Michigan State. I was the first one to kind of ‘break out’,” she says with a smile. She chose Saint Mary’s after a Memorial Day visit to campus. Her first image of Le Mans Hall made an impression. Though she could imagine herself living there, her mother was facing a serious health battle, and Renee felt unable to commit.
“The College was so proactive, even before I got here,” she said. “They talked to me and my dad. When we explained the situation, they were so kind. I had that sense of community from the very beginning.” Sadly, her mom passed away just two weeks into her first semester of her first year. The Saint Mary’s community rallied around her. “Their support grew and grew, and really set the tone for everything,” she said.
She thrived in her new-found home. “I didn't know anyone,” she said, “and wondered how I was going to get involved.” She remembers her math professor, Mary Porter, helping her see that a math major was attainable. She joined the math club, and the class gift campaign committee, two areas that allowed her to be part of vast social circles. Later, she landed a spring internship with the College’s chief information officer, who showed her how math could be applied to a career. She took advantage of the full Notre Dame experience—attending games, dances, and socializing. She also learned how important writing is for every career. “Even math majors had to earn their Advanced W,” she laughs.
Renee found a best friend in Sarah Hartman ’10. The bond between the two women strengthened throughout their time on campus and remains strong today. But the most important connection —her husband Tim—was made during her senior year. “When we started dating, I discovered his mom, Mary Jane Zabel Baumgartner ’78, is an alumna, and she has her own circle of Saint Mary’s friends,” Renee said. “When we got married in Le Mans, my mother-in-law, who had three boys, looked at me and said she never expected to be able to do this. That was really special.”
She doesn’t have to go think hard to see how her education continues to impact her life. Renee remembers a time in her junior year when she had to miss a class to attend a funeral. Her professor taught her a life-lesson that day.
“Professor (Charles) Peltier looked at me and said ‘When you have a career, there are going to be things that you have to miss that seem important but aren't. And things will come up that are important enough to miss work. You need to make sure that you can balance what's important and what's not.” When Renee considers how she and Tim juggle their careers while parenting a 4-year-old and 1-year-old, she remembers his words. “You know, some of the balls we juggle are plastic and some are glass. I feel Saint Mary's helped me to learn which is which.”
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of giving through appreciated securities or other ways to create an impact at Saint Mary’s with a planned gift, please contact Lauren Jaworowski Henzel ’91, JD, Director of Gift Planning, lhenzel@saintmarys.edu, (574) 284-4600.
December 23, 2025