Everything is Connected

Sarah Doll '04 took to heart all that she learned about the concept of stewardship during her four years at Malone – particularly at the Coalition for Christian Outreach "Jubilee" conference, which teaches students how to integrate their faith with their careers. 

 And though it’s not a career move she had ever expected, Sarah has found that she's been given the opportunity to live out much of what she learned in her college days. She and her brother Jamie co-own a restaurant, Benedict’s Steakhouse, in Coldwater, Michigan. 

"Through Jubilee, I learned that everything is spiritual – everything is connected," Sarah says. "That means that it matters that I help take care of the environment, that I buy locally, that I give to my community."

This is the kind of stewardship that she and her brother are intentional about practicing. They buy as much of their food as locally as possible. Their furnishings were purchased locally. They use a local carpet cleaner. They use cloth napkins instead of paper. Even the plants that beautify the outside of the restaurant are purchased from a local florist. They host benefits for community members, and donate gift certificates for numerous occasions. Also, Sarah is serving a term as president of the board of the local homeless shelter. 

"Stewardship was so ingrained in me at Malone that it’s a natural concept," Sarah says. "I wouldn’t know how to not care about these things."

The aspect that Sarah enjoys the most about owning the restaurant, she says, is her relationship with the employees. It’s also proven to be the greatest challenge. 

"I was  a 'poster girl' at Malone – I was homecoming queen, I lived on campus all four years (one as a resident advisor), I was on the golf team, I was the vice-president of the student body, and I loved every second of my experience there," Sarah explains. "And I was so ingrained in the 'Christian world' that I actually forgot that people even lied! I was surrounded by all these amazing friends and in such a safe environment (at Malone) that leaving it was a complete shock to my system."

Many of the employees at Benedict's, she says, were at first somewhat closed-minded to the idea of faith. In fact, one was shocked to learn that Sarah is a Christian. Not because of anything she had or hadn’t been doing – but because other "religious" people she’d met had treated her so badly. Sarah and this employee have had many conversations since, she adds, and she now feels completely comfortable asking difficult questions about her beliefs. 

But Sarah and Jamie have come to consider their employees as family, with some surprising results. For one, turnover has remained astonishingly low – especially for the restaurant business. Two, Sarah has sometimes found conversations with coworkers to go into the early morning hours – sometimes until 3 a.m. Sarah and Jamie have also made it a policy never to ask an employee to do something they were not willing to do themselves. If dishes need to be done, Sarah or Jamie will tie on an apron and get to work. 

"That shocks people," Sarah says, "but I think it helps the people who work here know that we care about them."

Editor’s note: Stewardship of her personal financial  resources is also important to Sarah – this young alumna was proud to pay off her student loans the day before this story interview took place!