Welcoming Cara Grimmer as part of the Dunrovin development/marketing staff!
Hello to all those I have the pleasure of reaching here! My name is Cara Grimmer, and I am the new Marketing and Development Coordinator at Dunrovin Retreat Center. This is a part-time position, but I feel Dunrovin has already come to occupy a full-time position in my heart and affections. I am eager to meet the people who support Dunrovin in various ways. Until then, I am happy to familiarize you with the newest team member and Dunrovin fan: me!
The background
I was raised in the Minneapolis suburbs, completely unaware of the treasury within our local Church and diocese. It was while I was studying at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire that my love for Jesus began taking shape and direction. I had an incredible campus minister who invested in me. Later, she helped me see the need for me to invest in my underclassmen peers and empowered me to do so. This transformative experience fueled my desire to evangelize and grow in holiness. I set aside job offers to teach and my beloved river town of Eau Claire to go anywhere Jesus asked me in service as an on-campus missionary with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Jesus wanted me in the buckeye state of Ohio. I served in Dayton at Wright State University. Named for the Wright brothers and home to a large Air Force base, I became much more acquainted with planes than I ever dreamed! I was in Ohio for two years before having the opportunity to return to my alma mater in Eau Claire and help establish FOCUS on their campus. On both a human and spiritual level, my experience with FOCUS was profoundly impactful and formative. It was bittersweet to move on. I will forever carry and be enriched by the graces received, the friendships formed, and the skills gained.
I was raised in the Minneapolis suburbs, completely unaware of the treasury within our local Church and diocese. It was while I was studying at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire that my love for Jesus began taking shape and direction. I had an incredible campus minister who invested in me. Later, she helped me see the need for me to invest in my underclassmen peers and empowered me to do so. This transformative experience fueled my desire to evangelize and grow in holiness. I set aside job offers to teach and my beloved river town of Eau Claire to go anywhere Jesus asked me in service as an on-campus missionary with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Jesus wanted me in the buckeye state of Ohio. I served in Dayton at Wright State University. Named for the Wright brothers, and home to a large Air Force base, I became much more acquainted with planes than I ever dreamed! I was in Ohio for two years before having the opportunity to return to my alma mater in Eau Claire and help establish FOCUS on their campus. On both a human and spiritual level, my experience with FOCUS was profoundly impactful and formative. It was bittersweet to move on. I will forever carry and be enriched by the graces received, the friendships formed, and the skills gained.
A new beginning
As I prepared for the transition out of fulltime missionary work, I prayed often with Psalm 23 – not knowing Jesus was going to provide me a home “beside still waters,” literally. First in New Richmond and since November 2024, White Bear Lake. It has been a haven. I found work as a nanny and was blessed to be in the lives of two different families and care for the precious souls of 5 different children ages 6 months to 9 years. This allowed me space and time to respond to Jesus’ invitation to rest, heal, play and let Him delight in me. I picked up and cultivated a few hobbies and interests while growing in authentic relationship with Christ and myself. It was like an elongated retreat!
What (OR WHO) brought me to Dunrovin
This elongated retreat helped me to identify my gifts and my desires, both personally and professionally. I prayed for an opportunity that was aligned with my values and was in a field I was interested in pursuing. A friend -knowing God had stirred in me the desire for a change and step forward – sent me a job posting Dunrovin had published. I had never heard of Dunrovin before. After perusing Dunrovin’s website, I realized theirs was a mission I could get behind, and there was much appeal to working on such gorgeous grounds. After meeting the staff, I was even more smitten. Between our conversations and my personal prayer, it was clear Jesus had opened a door, and I was ready to step through it! As the challenges that are natural to learning a new role have come up, it has been entirely consoling to remember the unique, creative, and intentional way the Lord brought me to Dunrovin. It was so clearly His intervention and providence at work, that I cannot help but be confident that it is good that I am here.
The first words that come to mind as I reflect on my early experiences here are: real, and receptive. This place and the people who represent it have room to receive those who come to them; however they come to them, which proves their belief in the dignity and value of the human person bestowed on each individual by God. I was able to attend my first programming, a group of local high schoolers coming to be LEAD trained for the first time, in preparation for service of future Encounter retreats. I laughed so hard and had an abundance of fun. I was inspired by the faith I witnessed. The feedback the teens shared left me convinced of the goodness and efficacy of Dunrovin’s programs. It is a joy to return to my home diocese and its people. I am truly eager and enthusiastic about playing my part in it all.
The basics
I have three married siblings and 6 blessed nieces and nephews, as well as an expansive chosen family near and far. I love music, especially the live sort, and the sort I get to share with friends. I savor swimming and being in water. I love pickleball and playing in general. I read many books of a variety of genres. I value taking in art of all forms and creating art through the mediums of photography and the written word. I am pursuing education and certification in birth and post-partum doula work and am passionate about empowering mothers and supporting family life.
I would love to tell you more about myself, but words never quite capture it. You’ll have to experience me for yourself. I am excited to meet each of you and learn your unique stories.
carag@dunrovin.org | 651-433-2486