Alumni
More than 2,800 students have passed through the doors of Churchill Center & School, graduating with the strategies to transition to traditional classrooms.
Our graduates are thriving as middle school students, high school students, college students, professionals, and parents. Visit our testimonial section to read our Churchill alumni stories.
In honor of Churchill’s Founding Director Sandi Gilligan’s legacy of service, a generous anonymous donor established an exciting alumni award in 2021.
SANDRA K. GILLIGAN “MAKING A DIFFERENCE” ALUMNI AWARD!
We would like to recognize and honor Churchill Center & School alumni who are truly carrying on the Churchill spirit of making a difference by creating meaningful impact in the lives of others through their everyday lives.
We are thrilled to announce the inaugural winner of the Sandra K. Gilligan “Making a Difference” Alumni Award in 2022…
ANDREW WITHERSPOON ’08
Andrew Witherspoon, Churchill Alumnus ’08
Andrew Witherspoon is truly carrying on the Churchill spirit of making a difference by creating meaningful impact in the lives of others through his everyday life. We are thrilled to recognize and honor him as the inaugural winner of the Sandra K. Gilligan “Making a Difference” Alumni Award!
Andrew was a student at Churchill Center & School from 2003-2008. He went on to attend Crossroads College Preparatory High School before graduating from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2018, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business.
Andrew gratefully shared,
Churchill is a special place. You are learning skills and strategies that will help you for the rest of your life. School is not always fun, but I can assure you it gets easier. If you believe in yourself and you have the tools you need to succeed, you can do anything. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
In 2018, Andrew co-founded the Chicago Furniture Bank (CFB) whose mission is to provide dignity, stability, and comfort to Chicagoans that face poverty by allowing clients to handpick an entire home’s worth of furniture.
From left-to-right: Andrew Witherspoon, Griffin Amdur and James McPhail. Photo courtesy of the Office of the President at University of Pennsylvania
Andrew, with his two co-founders and partners, Griffin Amdur and James McPhail, started the non-profit by themselves, with only a single used truck and some donated warehouse space. The CFB now has a fleet of more than 10 trucks, one warehouse, a junk removal company and plans to furnish 4,000 homes for 10,000 clients in 2022!
Chicago Furniture Bank partners with over 400 social service agencies throughout Chicagoland that provide supportive services to people in need. In just four years it has become the largest furniture bank in the country, and to date, CFB has furnished over 7,200 homes for over 16,000 people and given away furniture weighing over 5,000 tons.
Furthermore, CFB impacts the Chicago community in four unique ways: furnish homes for people in need, to “turn empty houses into homes”, create jobs for at-risk youth, reduce environmental waste and provide a convenient removal service to donors.
Andrew shared,
My parents, Janis Good and Brian Witherspoon, instilled in me the belief that everyone deserves the same opportunities, regardless of their financial situations. I am where I am today because of the sacrifices my parents made for me and the leadership and guidance they showed me.
Andrew continues, “I was driven to create the Chicago Furniture Bank, with my co-founders, Griffin Amdur and James McPhail, to try and help others live with dignity and create a new page in their own book. Being homeless and other hardships are experiences. They do not define who you are or your worth. I want to help.”
Learn more about how CFB serves and impacts their community HERE.
Andrew’s Alumni Award Nominator and Champion shared that Churchill taught Andrew two very important things: organization and how to advocate for himself and others. He went on to share that, “Andrew uses these skills in all that he does, on a daily basis. Churchill changed his life and, through that, he is able to touch any number of lives.”
With gratitude, Andrew said,
To all the parents and supporters, I want to thank you for making the sacrifice you are making to send your children to Churchill. It was not until I transitioned out of Churchill and back to a traditional school that I was able to fully understand and appreciate Churchill and my parent’s dedication. I would have never been able to create Chicago Furniture Bank without my parent’s amazing commitment and encouragement. By sending your kids to Churchill, you are setting them up for success in many different ways!
Andrew will be presented with the Sandra K. Gilligan “Making a Difference” Alumni Award during Churchill’s 2021-2022 Graduation Ceremony this spring.
SANDRA K. GILLIGAN “MAKING A DIFFERENCE” ALUMNI AWARD!
We would like to recognize and honor Churchill Center & School alumni who are truly carrying on the Churchill spirit of making a difference by creating meaningful impact in the lives of others through their everyday lives.
Do you know a Churchill alumnus or alumna of day school or summer school who meets this mission? Let us know! Nominate your favorite, most well-deserving alum now!
MISSION:
To recognize an alumnus or alumna who is truly carrying on the Churchill spirit of making a difference by creating a meaningful impact in the lives of others through their everyday life.
CRITERIA:
- A Churchill alumnus or alumna of day school or summer school
- Not limited by age, location or profession
- Award can be given to one or more individuals each year
- Nominee must meet the Award’s mission as stated above
AWARD:
Awardee will receive a $1,000 grant payable to an individual or organization of the Awardee’s choice and an individual plaque. A larger plaque that includes all recipients’ names will be displayed at Churchill Center & School.
DEADLINE:
- Nominations may be submitted at any time throughout the year, however, to be considered for the current year’s award, nominations are due by January 31. Awardees will be chosen annually and announced at Churchill’s Graduation Ceremony each May.
- The Award Selection Committee will review all nominations and choose an Awardee by February 28. Awardee will be notified immediately following.
PRESENTATION:
This Award will be presented each year at Churchill’s Graduation Ceremony in the spring. Awardee will be notified in advance and invited to attend.
For further details as well as the required nomination form, please use THIS LINK.
Success beyond churchill
Churchill alumni have gone on to attend the following junior high and high schools:
- Christian Brothers College
- Chaminade High School
- Clayton School District
- DeSmet High School
- Immacolata
- Ladue School District
- Lafayette High School
- Parkway Central
- St. Dominic – O’Fallon, MO
- Ursaline Academy
- Visitation Academy
- Westminster Christian Academy
- Whitfield School
Our graduates have attended prestigious colleges and university across the country, including:
- Chamberlain University
- Colby College
- Columbia College
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Gilford College
- Goldfarb School of Nursing
- Indiana University
- Jefferson College
- Johnson & Wales University
- Juilliard School
- Missouri State Technical School
- Morehouse College
- Murray State University
- New York University
- Northwestern University
- St. Louis University
- Texas Southern University
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
- University of Denver
- University of Houston
- University of Mississippi
- University of Missouri – Columbia
- University of Missouri – Kansas City
- University of Missouri – St. Louis
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University in St. Louis
alumni association
Founded in 1995, the Alumni Association brings graduates together to ensure the long-term success of our school. The Alumni Association also helps more families access Churchill’s invaluable resources through the Scholarship Fund.
Whether you attended just one summer session or several years at Churchill, we welcome your involvement in the Alumni Association.
For more information, contact the Development Office online or call 314-997-4343
alumni association events
From beer, wine and food tasting celebrations and silent auction to community 5K and 1-mile organized runs, the Alumni Association hosts events throughout the year, with proceeds benefiting the Churchill Scholarship Fund. Please check the Events page for a list of upcoming activities.
stay in touch
Please help us keep our alumni database up to date. Fill out the form below with your current email and mailing address, along with updates on what you’re currently doing. We love to hear what our alumni are up to in school, at work, and in life.
Or contact Steph Slonka in the Development Office at 314-997-4343 and sslonka@churchillstl.org.
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