Jim and Mary Kay Muehlbauer have dedicated their lives to their families and to volunteering in the Church and in their Evansville, IN, community.

"We are extraordinarily blessed, so it's important to give a little back and help others. 'To whom much is given, much is expected,'" says Jim.

"We feel our parents started us on this path," Mary Kay continues. "They may be the biggest blessing of all. We both came from hardworking parents who we always saw doing for others."

She remembers that, as a child, her sister and a friend had a lemonade stand and donated all the money they made to the hospital. "I just thought, 'Wow.' That always stuck in my mind that they did that," says Mary Kay.

Jim and Mary Kay are Evansville natives, but they didn't meet until they were seniors in college. Mary Kay was studying education at Maryville University in St. Louis and Jim was at Purdue University working toward a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in industrial administration.

They were both home for the weekend and each happened to go to the Roca Bar with friends for pizza. Jim was at a table with three or four of his fraternity friends and Mary Kay was at a table with some of her girlfriends. "We met and the rest is history," says Jim. The couple recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.

After Jim finished his master's degree in 1964, he entered the Army. About eight months later, Jim and Mary Kay were married on June 26, 1965. Three months after that, Jim received orders to go to Vietnam. They had been living in Virginia, but when Jim left for Vietnam, Mary Kay moved back to Evansville. She worked as a special education teacher and, when Jim returned from Vietnam, he began his career in engineering.

Today, the couple have five children and 11 grandchildren. Spending time with their grandchildren and community volunteering are at the top of their favorite activities.

Mary Kay was very involved at Christ the King School and Memorial High School when her children were attending. She also was active with the boards of Evansville ARC, Evansville Association for the Blind, and Junior League. More recently, she was a founding member of the Deaconess Golf Classic and a 25-year member of the committee. Today she is still active with the Bereavement Committee at Annunciation Parish.

Jim is vice chair at Koch Enterprises Inc. He is on the board of directors of Koch Enterprises, Koch Foundation and Anchor Industries. He also serves his community as a member of the Tocqueville Committee of the United Way, a mentor for Catholic Charities, a member of the USI Romain School of Business Board of Advisors and of the Quality Committee of Deaconess Hospital. He is also active with Junior Achievement.

"Our faith is the number one reason for the service we try to give back to others. 'But when did we see you hungry, Lord?'" says Jim.

Jim recently completed a six-year term on the Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology's Board of Overseers. He also served one year as a trustee. He and Mary Kay have known about Saint Meinrad since they were children. They remember taking field trips to campus.

"The next thing I remember was somebody from the Development Office and one of the monks coming to call on me for a contribution," says Jim. "Of course, I listened and learned more, and we started contributing and have been ever since."

Jim and Mary Kay's gifts support the education of priests, permanent deacons and lay ministers. As members of the same parish for almost 55 years, they have known many priests and parish staff who were educated at Saint Meinrad and guided them in the faith.

"I feel like there's nothing more important for our future than educating priests and keeping our parishes staffed with well-educated priests who can lead people to actually live our faith," explains Jim. "I often think that, probably, the academic side of the education is the easy part. The hard part is: how do you lead people? How do you get people to listen to you and internalize what you say? I think Saint Meinrad does a good job of preparing priests in that way."

As an Overseer, Jim saw the leaders in the Seminary and School of Theology always looking ahead. "I think it's important they are always there and always capable of being on the leading edge and forming priests to help us struggle through this ever-changing world," says Jim.

"I've become a believer that you can't depend on the other guy; it's me," he stresses. "What am I going to do to help? I would encourage others to really reflect on: Are they doing enough?"

Now that Mary Kay and Jim's children are adults, they are following in their parent's footsteps. They volunteer at their parishes and at educational, youth, and service organizations in the Evansville community. They are doing their part to help others, carrying on the legacy of their parents and grandparents, and modeling the same spirit of "loving your neighbor as yourself" for their children.