The Women’s Auxiliary & Friends has served PLNU students for nearly 60 years. From much needed renovations to brand new installations, the auxiliary has fundraised for projects large and small to make students’ lives better on campus.
Myrna May (79), Director of Academic Administration and Graduate and Professional Studies Records at PLNU, served as president of the auxiliary from 1997 to 2001. May explained the Women’s Auxiliary was founded in 1967 when Lois Brown, wife of Pasadena College President Dr. W. Shelburne Brown, wanted to find funding for holiday decorations to deck the halls of the Administration building for the Christmas season. As many of the women did not work outside of the home during that time, they were excited to get involved.
“They wanted to decorate the admin building at Christmas time, but there were no funds,” May described. So, Lois Brown and other wives of staff and faculty at Pasadena College made handcrafted Christmas tree decorations and other crafts they could sell to the community as a fundraiser.
“You’ll have to remember, that was the day when most women did not work outside their home, so it was totally different than the atmosphere today,” she said. “They were anxious for something to do, a lot of them would volunteer at a hospital auxiliary, [things] like that.”
Kathi Kietzke, who was president of the Women’s Auxiliary from 2001-2016, described her admiration for how the auxiliary set out to use their skills to better the academic community from
the very beginning. After the success of the Christmas decorations, they quickly realized it was a meaningful ministry that they could continue in order to provide students with much-needed improvements around campus.
These women, friends of Lois Brown and wives of the staff, saw deficits in campus necessities,” Kietzke said. “[Lois] got a group of women together who could crochet and knit and sew, and sell their wares.
“It was 25 cents here, 50 cents there. They made baby clothes, they made kitchen accessories [and] little things for the dorms to pretty them up… They started raising money like crazy for the little things that needed to be done.”
With the support of her husband, Lois Brown formed the nonprofit. There were eight or nine women at the beginning, and they each took turns rotating duties and positions. Annie Arms was the auxiliary’s first president, and among the executives were Lois Brown and Eileen Little, who happens to be the grandmother-in-law of Dr. Bob Brower’s daughter.
“What amazed me about the history of the women’s auxiliary is that these women gained nothing,” Kietzke said. “The students didn’t know who they were, they just saw things pop up. And the [women] had a good time. It was fellowship for them, but it was also something they really had a heart for.”
“They started raising money like crazy for the little things that needed to be done.”
May’s mother, Wanda Almgren – who is 102 this year – was an original member of the auxiliary. One of May’s earliest memories of the Women’s Auxiliary was the 1973 Homecoming (the first homecoming since the college moved from Pasadena to San Diego). Her mother helped the auxiliary prepare food for alumni events.
“We made a ton of sandwiches and desserts… wrapped them all up, and slightly controversial departure within the Women’s Auxiliary – until that point, they had chiefly funded projects that would tangibly improve students’ lives studying and living on campus. May became president when it had already been decided to move forward with the commission, and quickly had to get the auxiliary on the same page.
“Some of the women [asked], ‘well, how is this helping the students?’” She remembered. “I said, ‘Well, this is part of the faith focus mission that’s a reminder that we’re all called, and Jesus is the one that’s calling us.’”
Needless to say, The Calling now serves as an inspiring symbol of Christ’s calling in every student’s life, as well as a beloved landmark on the Point Loma campus.
Kietzke joined the Women’s Auxiliary board in 1999 in the midst of these successes. She became president after Myrna May in 2001, and served there for 15 years. Kietzke helped modernize and expand the group, in particular by calling for stronger online presence and attending more events on campus, including booths at Homecoming events.
“I fell in love with the ladies, a people, a ministry,” Kietzke said. “The ladies were so dedicated and so committed, not just to a university or a school or campus, but to the students. I learned about true ministry through this ministry.”
Over time, as more male members of the PLNU community wanted to participate in the good work of the organization, the title expanded to Women’s Auxiliary and Friends.
The auxiliary’s presence at Homecoming was the earliest exposure of the Women’s Auxiliary to the group’s current president, Jennie Vance (88), who has led the auxiliary since 2018. She has found the auxiliary to be a good way to stay involved and pass along the experience she had as a student to future generations.
“The friendships that I made [at Point Loma] and the growth that I experienced could not have happened anywhere else,” Vance said. “My love for Christ was strengthened and the knowledge that He loved me unconditionally, was solidified.”
Vance explained the Sweet Treat Program remains a key fundraiser for the PLNU community. The program allows family members and other loved ones to send students a special dessert baked by local friends of the Women’s Auxiliary. The proceeds go to fundraising for the university – and it also stays true to the “homemade” origins of the group.
“We are constantly looking for additional bakers who live near the university,” Vance said. “I love when the neighbors of PLNU become bakers because they want to love on the students.”
Following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re regrowing their fundraising efforts, and prayerfully working on an endowment to create scholarships for students.
“I believe the Women’s Auxiliary is a timeless organization and will be vital to PLNU forever,” Vance said. “I know that its role and visibility will change as it adjusts to 21st century needs of students.”
Kietzke believes that their commitment to the individual students, and especially the students’ relationships with Jesus, sets the group apart from typical alumni boards.
“I hope and pray that the faith of these women, their commitment and dedication, touched lives,” she said. “I hope [that] changes the way people see what they give and how they give.”
Kietzke told a story that highlights the lasting impact of the group. One member, Margaret Tammons, crafted items and volunteered at every women’s auxiliary event for years, even though she had no connections to the university or the Nazarene church. At one Homecoming event they volunteered for, Kietzke approached Tammons’ booth and asked her why she was always so faithful in this ministry.
“Margaret said, ‘do you see that young girl over there? She could be my nurse someday,’” Kietzke remembered. “‘That boy walking by could be my doctor. I want to make a difference for the students that can with their faith make a difference in their professions.’
“That’s what makes a ministry special. It reminds me all the time that we have a role in the future of Christian men and women.”
Celebrated Contributions
- “The Calling” Statue
- Clock Tower
- Sunset Deck and Furnishings
- Smee Hall Foyer Furnishings
- Ryan Library Chairs
- Mieras Hall Upgrades
- Nicholson Commons Living Room
- Prescott Prayer Chapel (leading donation for remodel)
- Campus Maps (x4)
- Alumni Walk border bricks (including prayer chapel walkway)
- Science Plaza Furnishings
- Dorm improvements (TVs, kitchen items, bike racks, and more)
- Cement tables, seats & surrounding landscape
- Exterior lighting on walkways to dorms
- Weight room upgrades
