Two alumnae making a difference
Two Duchesne alumnae are collaborating to expand the services of a local charity.
Beginning in April, Denise (Westhues) Loewenstein ’83 partnered with Gwendolyn’s Gifts CEO Erin (Walker) Kramer ’04 to develop a way to further support families who have lost a child due to lengthy illness.
The effort is part of a community ambassador program run by Loewenstein’s employer, Cigna Healthcare. Every year, Cigna employees can apply for a $20,000 contribution to be used in partnership with a charitable organization to support a specific project or need.
Gwendolyn’s Gifts seemed like the natural choice to Denise.
“Gwendolyn’s Gifts has always been at the center of my heart,” she said. “When I approached Erin and explained the premise of the project, she was really excited.”
Founded in 2019, Gwendolyn's Gifts was created by Mark and Erin Kramer to help St. Louis families with children fighting life-threatening medical conditions. It was inspired by their oldest daughter, Gwendolyn, who courageously fought a progressive neurological condition for eight years before passing away on May 12, 2023. To date, the charity has donated over $450,000 and assisted over 1,500 local families.
One of Cigna’s guiding forces is philanthropy, and this year, Loewenstein’s project will align with its focus on adolescent health resources. The ambassadorship will build on a current program that offers $5,000 in funeral assistance to families during the most difficult time in their lives. However, there is more here than just a monetary contribution.
“I was blown away,” said Kramer. “It’s generosity in two forms: Cigna provides a $20,000 grant for us to complete the project, but then secondly, they allow the employees a three-month sabbatical to come work for
the charity, to be the project lead on it.”
The new program, named Gwendolyn’s Circle, will form partnerships with local funeral homes to provide reduced funeral costs to families in need, with the added goal of creating pre-packaged plans to assist grieving parents in the decision-making process following the death of a child. A resource guide containing lists of organizations that can help with other issues, such as mental healthcare for siblings, will also be produced.
In these ways, Loewenstein and Kramer hope to take some of the leg work out of the planning that follows the loss of a child, as well as assist parents who have lost their children in ways other than illness.
“This is a project I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but I didn’t have the manpower to take it on," said Kramer. "I’m just super excited to bring this project to life.”
To date, six funeral homes have signed up to partner with Gwendolyn’s Gifts. A marketing group has been hired to create the resource guide and provide web updates. A promotional video will also be produced.
Loewenstein plans to continue to volunteer her time and spearhead Gwendolyn’s Circle past the end of the ambassadorship.
“This will be a great springboard for awareness,” said Loewenstein. “A ton of people have read about her charity and are excited to help and continue to make it work past the three-month timespan.”
To learn more about Gwendolyn's Circle, visit https://gwendolynsgifts.org/.