Lauren (Giannini) Herrington-Gilmore ’08 and Andrew Herrington-Gilmore ’09 cofounded The Gilmore Family Foundation in the summer of 2022 to raise money for childhood rare disease treatment, discovery, diagnosis, awareness, and research.

“A rare disease diagnosis is devastating, and it’s the last thing any child should have to endure. Unfortunately, for our family and thousands of others, it is reality. It is also extremely hard to find doctors and care teams who have the experience, knowledge, resources and capability to provide the coordinated care each child deserves. The entire process is mind-numbingly frustrating, terrifying, and exhausting. Yet, through personal experience, we have learned what a family can do when pushed to the limits, and what children can overcome in the most difficult of circumstances. We aim to celebrate and honor what these kids can do while alleviating some of that burden on families dealing with pediatric rare diseases.”

Read more about their foundation and how you can help here.

Morris ’75 and Linda (Brown) ’76 Tammen are using their retirement years to launch a new business with two of their children, Katrina Tammen Reber ’05 and Evan Tammen ’09. Artesia Brewing, located on their farm outside of Thawville, Illinois, opened its doors last fall and features varieties of hard cider, mead, and beer made with the fruits and honey from their farm.

“Two of our bestselling beers are named after a special IWU memory that my husband and I share,” Linda recently said. “I am sure I have told customers the story at least 50 times since we opened last fall. It always gets such a great reaction.”

Learn more here.