Benevolence Fund Provides Financial Relief for Liberty Faculty and Staff

Jake Glass had not felt well for a year. After football practice, he would feel lightheaded and dizzy. His mother was concerned because his skin was too pale. 

Kayla Glass, a financial services compliance analyst at Liberty, knew that after running, her son Jake should have a redder complexion. Why was he feeling bad? 

Relying on her instinct, she took her son to a doctor. The several tests that he ran did not, at first, indicate anything was wrong. However, as they were leaving the office, the doctor called them back in. He had discovered Jake had a severe problem with his kidneys. 

The next day, the doctor decided that Jake should be seen by a specialist at the University of Virginia’s hospital.  He was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure, meaning his kidneys were not functioning to support his body. Within a week, doctors at UVA had placed a dialysis port, and Jake started on dialysis a week later. 

By the end of 2016, Jake had been in the hospital four times and the family’s savings account was drained. By May of 2017, Jake’s kidneys were well enough to be placed on a transplant list. 

Walking through Green Hall one day in the fall of 2017, Kayla came across a table for the Liberty Benevolence Fund. Susan Barringer, one of the creators of the Fund, was sitting at the table. Kayla began talking with Susan and told her she wished they had known about the fund during the initial stages of Jake’s dialysis.  Helping families going through financial crises is the Benevolence Fund’s purpose, so Barringer encouraged her to apply for assistance.

“As soon as I found out that he needed a kidney, I kind of knew in my gut that it was mine. I never got scared,” Kayla said. “When I found out I was a match for him, I had a praise and worship service in my living room and hollered and cried so loud the neighbors came to check on me.” 

The transplant was on Nov. 9, 2017. Following the transplant, Kayla received a check from the Benevolence Fund that covered their entire stay at UVA for the transplant surgery. 

“That just kind of lifted that weight off our shoulders to allow us to breathe,” she said. “Going through what we went through while we were a part of the Liberty University family, it really helped me to see what a special place it is.” 

Kayla and Jake’s story is one of many. The LU Employee Benevolence Fund, an employee-run assistance program, has offered financial help to several families during emergency situations.

The LU Employee Benevolence Fund started in 2016 to give employees the opportunity to support each other. Since its start, employees have given over $35,000 to those in need according to Barringer. 

Another Liberty family who was helped by the fund are the Millers. In February 2021, an ice storm knocked out the power to their home in Gretna, Virginia. Stephanie Miller, who is a quality assurance analyst in the registrar’s office, said the family went to the grandmother’s home nearby to stay warm.

Her husband became anxious later in the day and decided to drive back home to see if anything was working. With their four kids, he arrived to find the porch was on fire. He called the fire department but between the fire and the water damage, the Millers lost everything save for a few containers of clothes. The firemen told the Millers a power line froze and snapped, hitting their porch and catching the house on fire. 

“I never once cried about the things,” Miller said. “I realized what everyone would say – you can replace things but people you cannot – so I was just thankful my family was safe.”

Her boss informed her about the Benevolence Fund, and she applied. Within a day or two, she received funds.

“Not only did they make a check for me, but they drove it all the way to Gretna, so I didn’t have to wait for it,” Miller said. “[They] even said a quick little prayer for me, so it’s beyond what I was expecting and more. [I’m] just thankful.”

Miller said she and her family are staying with her mother while they build a new home. 

For employees interested in applying for help, they can visit the Benevolence Fund’s website. 

Fitch is a news reporter. Follow her on Twitter.