Good Shepherd Donor Appreciation Wall
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The Art of Giving Thanks
Good Shepherd’s donor appreciation wall is more than a list of people who have contributed to the success of our Investing in the Future capital campaign. It represents a collective community of caring in support of Good Shepherd’s mission and vision— persons who responded with their hearts to help those with disabilities achieve lives of greater independence.

Located in the Good Shepherd Health & Technology Center, eight crystal panels accompanied by a Tiffany-style stained glass image of the Good Shepherd, the ultimate caregiver, are etched with the names of 503 donors who were leadership givers to the campaign. An additional 15,921 names appear on a wall monitor acknowledging equally heartfelt gifts ranging from $5,000 to under $250.

As the quotation spanning the top of the wall says, “The thankful are the thoughtful ones.” Through our donors’ thoughtfulness, Good Shepherd and those we serve have much to be thankful for.

Crystal: Light, Clarity & Purity
Good Shepherd commissioned Stacy Kent of Kent Design in Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, for the donor wall’s concept and design, and California artist Christina Wallach of the Wallach Glass Studio, a leading donor recognition and architectural art glass firm in Santa Rosa, for the creation of the wall.

Crystal, Christina explains, is an ideal medium for donor recognition walls because it “glows with light, clarity, and purity.” It is a classic material with a contemporary feel and, like stone, it can be etched, carved, and polished.

Set in front of a deep plum background, the eight panels within the donor wall measure 20 inches wide by 5 feet high and are a half-inch thick. The ornamental etching at the bottom of the wall is a classic antique embroidery pattern tying the stained glass Shepherd robes and crystal panels together. Symbolically, then, all donors are also “wearing” the compassionate robes of the Good Shepherd. Each name is deep V-carved in polished crystal and illuminated in a custom-designed cherry wood frame with edge-mounted LED lights to create the Health & Technology Center’s elegant, understatedly dramatic centerpiece.

Timeless Artistry
Blending modern-day technology with 12th century techniques, Wallach Studio’s artisans designed the stained glass depiction of the Biblical Good Shepherd, crafting a piece of art that is as timeless as Good Shepherd’s mission.

Jewel-like reds, blues, golds, and greens are artfully woven with softer hues of brown, pink, yellow, and cream. Hundreds of pieces of glass, many from Christina Wallach’s personal collection, were used incorporating French hand-blown antique glass with German and American Tiffany-style opalescent glass, some of it 40 years old. Larger pieces of stained glass were closely examined for artful swirls or streaks, as unique as fingerprints, and the fragments were carefully extricated and added to the design.

The donor wall’s dogwood blossoms, Cloisonné-like in their beauty and design, are historically symbolic of the shape of the Christ cross. Legend holds that the dogwood tree, once tall and mighty, was used for the crucifixion. It became so distressed that it no longer grew tall in stature, instead developing blossoms in the shape of a cross and a crown of thorns in the middle.

Wallach Studio’s artisans went to great lengths to create these blossoms and add texture to each flower’s center by fusing tiny bits of ground glass.

Further detail was added by delicately applying paint—ground mineral powder—to the face and hands of the Christ figure and the lamb and sheep. Each painted piece was then fired multiple times in a kiln at 1,200 degrees and fused and leaded using 12th century classic leading techniques.

Artist’s Statement
"I think when you put intention into something it lives on. So in designing Good Shepherd’s donor wall, I wanted to honor each donor and everything it took for this building to be born. My hope is that anybody who comes here will feel the generosity and care of the people named here and the true heartfelt extension of the Shepherd’s giving spirit and sense of compassion guiding all those who do good works. Some people will meditate on the stained glass. Others will think about this beautiful building and the time, effort, and heart that went into it. I just want them all to be truly honored."

         —Christina Wallach

For more information on Good Shepherd's donor appreciation wall, contact us today or call 1-888-44-REHAB (24 hours a day, 365 days a year).