Lutheran school receives $1.25 million gift toward health center

by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service

Shelly Ellig, a member of Olivet Lutheran Church, Fargo, N.D.,
donated $1.25 million dollars to the Centennial Campaign of
Oak Grove Lutheran School, Fargo. Ellig owns Stop-N-Go
convenience stores in 27 locations from Carrington, N.D., to
Alexandria, Minn. He also owns Frank McKone Cigars. Olivet
Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA). Oak Grove is an ELCA school
educating 494 students -- pre-kindergarten through grade 5 on
its south campus and grades 6 through 12 on its north campus.

Oak Grove Lutheran School traces its history back to 1906 and
marked its centennial with a capital campaign "to enhance and
expand facilities, support the annual operating budget and
increase student aid," according to the school's news release.
Now in its third phase, the campaign's goal has grown to meet
the generosity of its donors. The Centennial Campaign has
raised $14.4 million in gifts and pledges toward its goal of
$18 million. The school has renovated classrooms and office
space and constructed the Scheels Center for the Performing
Arts.

In accepting Ellig's donation, Oak Grove Lutheran School
announced the naming of the Ellig Center for Health and
Wellness. The center will be the focal point of the school's
health initiative, offering comprehensive wellness programs,
individualized student wellness plans, flexible physical
education courses and the use of technology to integrate
health and wellness concepts into core academic courses.
Construction added more than 6,700 square feet to the Darwin
Gorder Gymnasium, including the Ellig Center, school store,
restroom facilities, locker rooms and additional lobby space.