by Sharon Sanders
An informal network of alumni who give generously of their time and talent is a vital resource for Daemion Counseling Center, Berwyn, Pa., says Marti Magee, executive director, whose daughter is Emily Magee ’10.
The center charges clients based on what they can afford and funds its services through foundation grants and private contributions.
“The common denominator, instilled in Lafayette graduates, is the knowledge that it only takes one person to make a profound difference in another person’s life,” says Phil Krombolz ’84, a Daemion board member. Phil, an anthropology and sociology graduate, owns Krombolz Sheets Insurance, West Chester, Pa., with his father, Dan Krombolz ’54.
When Magee joined the center in 2012, Elizabeth Blake ’12 was part-time administrative assistant. A French and psychology graduate, Blake interned at Daemion during college and “felt strongly about the mission.”
Blake, who also managed the annual campaign letters and newsletter, says she learned to multitask at Lafayette. “As a tour guide and member of the Lafayette Ambassador Committee, I handled open houses and ‘selling’ the Lafayette experience. The skills came in handy when I recruited items for a silent auction and talked with donors about our mission.”
She enlisted her grandfather, Gordon E. Wright ’56, a business and economics graduate, and his wife, Mimi, to help raise funds. She also reached out to Phil Krombolz.
At his fi rst meeting, Krombolz met Andy Mullen ’94, a psychology graduate who holds a master’s in counseling and human relations from Villanova University. A guidance counselor at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Mullen recently completed his board service but remains involved as an adviser.
Blake, now a client relationship associate at Vanguard, continues to volunteer at Daemion. Magee was married to the late John T. Magee ’68 whose paternal grandfather is John F. Magee 1913, a Lafayette life trustee who served from 1933 to 1960.