Larwin and Kristina Kauffman’s paths first crossed at the University of Minnesota Foundation Student Call Center in 2005. Both were undergraduates from Wisconsin, and both were committed to raising money for the U. He was a supervisor, and she was a caller. 

“I worked there for almost four years,” says Larwin, ’06 B.A., a wealth management advisor for a financial security company.  

During every shift, each student’s goal was to make 150 alumni calls. “At the outset of any call, we’d introduce ourselves as U of M students,” says Kristina, ’07 B.A. “It made an instant connection, and people were happy to talk with us.” Most were also happy to give, she says. 

Now married for 10 years and the parents of three sons, the Kauffmans recently made what they call their first “gift of substance” to the U—cash and an estate gift in support of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.

They chose the hospital because they  felt compelled to help families with sick children. “When kids are sick, it strikes a chord,” Kristina says. “This gift is a way to do our part.”