Investing in a proud family tradition
By Nicole Etter
September 13, 2021
A love of nursing has been woven into the fabric of Patrick and Lori Imburgia鈥檚 family for three generations. It started when Patrick鈥檚 mother graduated from Loyola-Oak Park鈥檚 nursing program, a predecessor of 草莓社区鈥檚 Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Next, Patrick鈥檚 two sisters and two nieces became nurses. And then Patrick鈥檚 and Lori鈥檚 two daughters donned nursing scrubs, too. Their oldest daughter, Rachael, graduated from Loyola with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in fall 2017, nearly seven decades after her grandmother earned her nursing degree.
So, it seemed natural that the Imburgia family would establish a scholarship fund to support aspiring nurses in the BSN program. 鈥淲e know how important education is,鈥� says Patrick, a retired flavor chemist who built the successful company, Mission Flavors & Fragrances, that he recently sold. 鈥淵ou invest in stocks, bonds, and real estate. I鈥檓 never afraid to invest in my kids鈥� education.鈥�
Or in other kids鈥� educations. The Imburgias have donated to several K-12 schools and colleges in the United States and abroad, but they felt moved to support Loyola in a deeper way after witnessing the impact Loyola had on Rachael at a pivotal moment in her education. She struggled academically during her sophomore year, and her future in the nursing program was uncertain. But with Rachael鈥檚 determination and the support of Loyola鈥檚 caring faculty, she got back on track and eventually thrived.
鈥淚 was so glad they were willing to give her another chance,鈥� says Lori. 鈥淓verybody in life deserves a second chance and Loyola gave Rachael that.鈥�
Now, Rachael has her dream job as a cardiothoracic surgery nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Her sister, Sarah, is a nurse there, too, in the cardiac step-down unit, giving Patrick and Lori double the reasons to visit Chicago when they鈥檙e not at their home in Southern California. Their son, Joe, took a different path to the helping professions: he is an EMT who hopes to become a firefighter.
Whether it is tutoring or other resources, the Imburgias always have encouraged their children to seek the support they need to persist even when things get tough. They love knowing that they are helping students who are often the first in their families to attend college.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 life changing for the next 10 generations,鈥� says Patrick. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e helping students who might be unable to graduate with a nursing degree otherwise. They鈥檝e got the background, but they don鈥檛 have the financial wherewithal to get through college. And to get through college with less debt or no debt is huge.鈥�
The Imburgias, whose three children attended parochial schools, are especially passionate about supporting Catholic education. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so important today, with another wave of Catholic schools closing,鈥� says Patrick. 鈥淚t starts with the Catholic grade schools, then the high schools, and then the colleges. If you don鈥檛 have the tiny acorn, you can鈥檛 have the mighty oak.鈥�
They hope their scholarship support inspires others to give what they can to help the next generation. 鈥淲hen we get these young people through their nursing degrees, hopefully it will turn them into givers, too.鈥�