The game is on her mind; the players are in her heart
Rebecca Vance was moved to make a gift to Titan baseball in honor of Jon Wilhite, a former player
severely injured in a tragic accident.
Rebecca Vance has one tough job: She is not only a student studying math and geology at Cal State Fullerton, but also a single mom of two sons – a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old. She’s a big fan of the Angels, and her sons are already playing T-ball, an entry sport to baseball and softball for young players.
Like all of the university community, she was shocked when she heard about the tragic automobile accident in April that took the lives of Angels’ pitcher Nick Adenhart, law school student Henry Nigel Pearson and CSUF communications major Courtney Stewart, and severely injured CSUF alumnus Jon Wilhite. “Jon went to my school, so I felt connected to him because of that,” she said. “I felt so bad for him, that I just wanted to honor him in some way.”
Vance wished to make a donation directly to Cal State Fullerton in Jon’s name. Since CSUF did not have a donation fund set up to directly benefit Jon (this could only be done through a trust fund set up by his family), she decided to make a gift to Titan baseball in honor of him. She also shared that she would like to make a gift to the philanthropy identified by Courtney Stewart’s family.
“I didn’t know Jon or Courtney, but I was so moved that something like this happened at my college. I just felt like I had to do something,” she said. “I hope the money helps someone who can’t afford to go to college, or perhaps it can help fix something that needs repair.”
For information about giving to Athletics, please contact Pam Jones-Tintle
at 657-278-4407.