Serving all of Kent County since 1922

Winter 2010, Volume No. 43

Current

John Canepa
honored
with Chaille
Community
Philanthropy
Award

Giving a College Access Photos from our Great New

Gift of Stock Network Launched Donor Party Grants

4 5 6-7 8
 About the Cover
Features
Long time Grand Rapids 3 Visit from Community Experience Partnership Participants
Community Foundation 4 Considering Giving a Gift of Stock?
supporter John Canepa was
5 Kent County College Access Network Receives Grant
given the Jack Chaille
6-7 Photos from our 2010 Donor Party, John Canepa Receives the Chaille Award
Community Philanthropy
8 New Grants Abound
Award at this year’s donor
9 Metz Society Profile: Dr. Jim and Janet Watkins
party held at the UICA.
11 The Next Generation: Will they Love Grand Rapids? Diana Sieger’s Letter

Grand Rapids Community Foundation Board of Trustees Staff

Tel: 616.454.1751, Fax: 616.454.6455 Cecile Cave Fehsenfeld Diana R. Sieger
Email: grfound@grfoundation.org (Chair) President
Website: www.grfoundation.org
Carol J. Karr Lynne M. Black
(Vice Chair) Vice President, Finance and
Wayman P. Britt Administration
Current is a quarterly publication of Grand Rapids Eva Aguirre Cooper Roberta F. King, APR
Community Foundation ©2010 Paul T. Doyle Vice President, PR &
Contributing Writers: Amanda St. Pierre, Amy Price Paul M. Keep Marketing
Graphic Design: James Falk Arend D. Lubbers Marcia L. Rapp
Illustration: Yolanda Gonzalez Bonnie K. Miller Vice President, Programs
Photography: Terry Johnson, Matthew Mitchell, Jenna T. Rood
Marilyn W. Zack
Tommy Valdez Robert W. Roth
Vice President, Development
2
Current

facebook.com/GRCommFound

@GRCommFound
This is Leadership
A
mongst the ArtPrize
crowds on September 27
and 28 was a special group
of visitors. Loaded into a
charter bus, the group wound its way
around Grand Rapids for two days.
Inside were foundation professionals
from across the U.S. They visited Grand
Rapids to learn about our community,
particularly our efforts to engage
experienced adults (people ages 50 and
older) in important community issues.
Grand Rapids is one of nine U.S.
communities participating in the
Community Experience Partnership
(CEP) through Atlantic Philanthropies.
CEP’s primary purpose is to challenge
communities to engage experienced
adults in meaningful work—because
they have an incredible pool of
knowledge, experience and dedication.
CEP teaches communities how to draw
on these qualities to create true change.
Each community foundation in this
partnership is addressing a different
issue. Grand Rapids is focusing on
housing issues and homelessness, led by
Kate Luckert Schmid, a Grand Rapids
Community Foundation program director.
CEP participants learn about best
practices and program development
on site visits to partner foundations.
The Grand Rapids site visit was the
second for the CEP partners. The first
was in Los Angeles.
“Following Los Angeles is a big challenge.
But I was excited to showcase the
innovation occurring in Grand Rapids
and knew the community was ready
to share our successes,” Kate said.
After a bus tour of Grand Rapids
highlights, participants learned how
local nonprofits are engaging
experienced adults to eliminate
homelessness. They made site visits
and heard presentations by Grand
Rapids Area Coalition to End
Homelessness, Habitat for Humanity
of Kent County, Grand Rapids Area
Center for Ecumenism’s Congregational
Partnership Program and Well House.
The group toured a Habitat building site
where members of Habitat’s Carpenters
Club spoke about their experiences. The
Carpenters Club program was developed
to train experienced adults as team
leaders. Habitat for Humanity of Kent
County Executive Director Mary Buikema
spoke about how invaluable these
dedicated volunteers have become.
“Our site supervisors have started
fighting over who gets these folks on
their teams,” Mary said, laughing.
The group also visited Well House,
where Director Judi Buchman led a
facility tour. Well House is transitioning
from a temporary shelter to providing
permanent housing options. Experienced
adults are helping to lead this
transformation in various ways, from
educating residents about energy
efficiency to expanding outreach to
former residents to ensure housing
stability.
“When other communities look at how
to solve problems, we hope they’ll ask
themselves how we can use the power
of older adults to make change. I’ll tell
them, ‘Go ask the community of Grand
Rapids, because they know how to do
it,’” said Stacy Easterling, Atlantic
Philanthropies program executive.
The visit also involved trainings and
discussions with the local CEP technical
assistance partners—Johnson Center for
Philanthropy and Heart of West
Michigan United Way’s Volunteer Center.
The CEP project is yet another way in
which the Community Foundation is
taking a leadership role on aging issues.
As baby boomers head towards
retirement, they want and need
meaningful work for their next life
stage. Kate Luckert Schmid and the
Community Foundation are helping to
ensure Grand Rapids is a great place for
people to spend their “encore” years. n

T
here are many
options for year-end
gifts to the Grand
Rapids Community
Foundation—and one that is
always popular is a gift of
appreciated stock. The Community
Foundation is experienced in accepting
stock gifts and is happy to facilitate a
transfer. Gifts of stock can be placed in
any existing Community Foundation fund
including the Fund for Community Good.
If the stock amount is over $50,000 a
personal endowment such as a donor
advised fund may be created. Robert W.
Schellenberg, CPA with Schellenberg &
Evers, P.C., gave a few points to consider
when giving stock to the Community
Foundation or another nonprofit.
FOCUS ON APPRECIATED STOCK
“Most importantly, a gift of stock to a charity
should be considered when the stock is
highly appreciated. In today’s market this has
to be carefully reviewed as many people have
stock that has lost value,” Robert said. Giving
stock that has lost value can be done, but it
is similar to giving cash in that the donor can
take the charitable tax deduction only and
other tax advantages are lost including the
ability to deduct the loss if there is one. “By
giving stock, you are essentially getting rid
of the capital gains tax,” Robert said.
KNOW THE VALUE OF YOUR STOCK
“Making a gift of publicly traded stock is
easy. It just involves a call to your broker
who will determine the value of the stock
and initiate the transfer. It becomes more
complicated with stock that is not traded or
is privately-held. These types of transfers
require a qualified independent
Helpful Community Foundation development staff contacts
4
Marilyn Zack
Current
Vice President
616.454.1751 x127
mzack@grfoundation.org
Taking Stock
on Gifts of Shares
appraisal of the stock that will satisfy charities they support. It requires a bit
the Internal Revenue Service that more involvement,” he said.
you’ve done homework about the
valuation,” Robert said. While HAVE FUN!
donations of private stock are “When working with my clients I tell them
not to get completely wrapped up in the
less common, they do tend to
tax advantages, though they are important.
represent larger gifts to
People should give because they believe
charities. Both types of stock
in the cause and want to be involved. I tell
are treated the same by the IRS
my clients to have fun, and that can mean
when donated to a public charity.
different things to different people. I
THE DOUBLE BENEFIT encourage them to engage in a dialogue and
Charitable contributions of appreciated stock to learn a lot about the work the nonprofit
provide two probable income-tax advantages. or the Community Foundation does in the
The first is a charitable deduction—normally community,” Robert said. “I’ve worked with
for the fair market value of the stock at the the Foundation on a number of these kinds of
time of the gift, subject to certain tax law gifts and I’ve found them good to work with;
limits. The second benefit is the donor is not willing and able to help me help my clients
taxed on the capital gain that would result have fun being philanthropic.”
from the sale of the stock.
THE LOGISITICS OF A TRANSFER
CARRYING FORWARD A STOCK GIFT
Most brokers can electronically transfer
“Typically, a gift of appreciated stock is
shares to the Community Foundation for you
subject to the 30 percent AGI (adjusted gross
and the process is quite simple. Development
income) limit when gifted to a 50 percent
staff can provide account numbers for you.
limit organization (public charity). With other
Mutual funds can also be transferred, but the
types of gifts (cash, household gifts, etc.)
process can take up to eight weeks and
you cannot deduct more than 50 percent of
contact with the Community Foundation
AGI in one year. So when making a gift like
development staff is important to facilitate
this you need to look at all your other
the process.
income, salaries, wages, interest, dividend
income and other capital gains. But you are If you have paper stock certificates you wish
allowed to carry the unused deduction to gift, contact Community Foundation staff
forward for five years,” Robert said. for instructions on the best way to make
that transfer.
CREATING A FUND FROM STOCK
Before you make a gift of stock, especially if
A large gift of stock can be used to create
the gift is significant to you, be sure to talk
a personal endowment such as a Donor
with your financial advisor and a member of
Advised Fund. These funds are particularly
the Community Foundation development staff.
attractive because the donor has control over
To ensure that stock gifts are received by
where the money will go. Another advantage
is that the donor doesn’t have all the December 31, transfers should be initiated
administrative costs and issues that come by December 15 if possible. n
with a private foundation,” said Robert. He
noted that donors need to be doubly involved
when they create a donor advised fund.
“People will have a relationship with Grand
Rapids Community Foundation and with the
Gina Bovee Jonse Young
Development Director Donor Services Director
616.454.1751 x113 616.454,1751 x108
gbovee@grfoundation.org jyoung@grfoundation.org
This is Leadership

The Start of Something

W
hat will it take to prepare our community’s next The leadership team has three targets for its 2011 activities:
generation for tomorrow’s workforce? This question • Remove financial barriers by increasing families’
and how we respond matters to the Community financial awareness and helping students apply for
Foundation—the prosperity of young people will strengthen financial aid.
families, neighborhoods and lift the community as a whole. • Remove awareness barriers by engaging and assisting
One ingredient for future success is a college degree or post- students to complete the critical steps for college entry.
secondary training. Grand Rapids Community Foundation is • Remove aspirational barriers by building and supporting
proud of its efforts to increase access to college, particularly students’ college-going aspirations. 
among low-income and first-generation college students. We’ve
worked to increase scholarships to these students most in need. “Though we are happy to have taken a leadership role in
Now the Community Foundation is taking this work a step forming KCCAN, this project is larger than just the Community
further, by convening and launching Kent County College Access Foundation. It has been exciting to work with community
Network (KCCAN). partners to grow this grassroots effort,” Ruth Bishop said. n
KCCAN is a consortium of local organizations committed to
enhance and connect programs that inspire low-income and
first-generation students and their families to access, enroll and
succeed in college. This September, the Community Foundation,
acting as fiduciary for KCCAN, received a $50,000 grant for
startup activities from Michigan College Access Network. The
KCCAN leadership team, a group of community members
invested in increasing college access, includes Ruth
Bishop, Community Foundation education
program officer.
The KCCAN leadership team used part
of its grant to recruit and hire Andrea
Kitomary, who began work on October 25
as the network’s part-time coordinator.
Andrea most recently worked as consultant for
a school-based youth program in the Wyoming
School District, providing evaluation and
assessment. Before that she was an instructor
Andrea Kitomary
and academic advisor at Calvin College and
Grand Valley State University.
“There is a nationwide call to increase the number of people
with college degrees to 60% by 2025, and KCCAN is an
important part of the local response to that call. I am excited to
help launch this initiative in the community,” Andrea said.
 John Canepa:
2010 Jack Chaille
Community Philanthropy
Award Winner
T
he only way you
know John Canepa
isn’t a Grand Rapids
native is his distinctive
Boston accent. He will tell
you, if you ask, that he never
intended to stay in Grand
Rapids beyond his tenure as
president of Old Kent Bank.
But during the 25 years he
served the bank, the
community grew on him and
his wife, Marie. As retirement
approached in 1995, they
couldn’t imagine leaving a
place they’d grown to love.
“I can’t imagine Grand
Rapids without John Canepa.
He’s been a force behind so
many successful projects
here. He is someone other
community leaders count
on to help get things done.
His involvement is a
commitment,” said Diana
Sieger, Grand Rapids
Community Foundation
president. Most recently,
John helped support the
Community Foundation’s
Building Community
Philanthropy campaign,
both with a personal gift
and by helping secure
other donations.
John is probably most well
known for being one of three
leaders behind Grand
Action’s startup and success.
He, Dick DeVos and David
Frey served as founding
co-chairs of the organization
6
in 1993 as it transitioned
Current
from Grand Vision. John still
serves Grand Action, which
has brought many projects
to fruition, including DeVos
Place, Van Andel Arena,
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
and Michigan State
University School of Human Diana Sieger, Nikki Outhier, Marie and John Canepa
Medicine.
On a more personal level,
he is an animal lover and is
especially fond of cats. He
has a long association with
the Humane Society of Kent
County. The area where cats
are housed is named in
memory of the Canepa’s
cat, Arthur.
In honor of his Jack Chaille
Community Philanthropy
Award, the Community Tara Powers, Brian Burch and Jeff Lambert
Foundation made a gift to
the Humane Society in
John’s name. n
About the
Chaille Award
Each year we give the Jack
Chaille Community Philanthropy
Award to a couple or individual
who embodies the late William
Jackson “Jack” Chaille’s
passion for the Community
Foundation and the community. Marilyn Zack, Joy and Jim DeBoer
Past recipients are:
Jack Chaille
James Carpenter
Dirk Hoffius
Sam Kravitz
Patricia Edison
Richard Gillett Sr.
Shirley K. Daniels
Chuck and Stella Royce
David G. Frey
Fred and Lena Meijer
Tom and Mickie Fox
Claudia and Allan Carlson
Ron and Margaret Story, Jim and Teresa Mc Carty
Mike Jandernoa, Judge Paul Sullivan, John Canepa and Marty Allen Allan Carlson and Miles Schmidt

Greg Sundstrom, Audrey Sundstrom and Eddie Tadlock Mary Copeland, Marilyn Zack and Bessie Ward

Marcie Lewis, Phyllis Tillman and Eva Aguirre Cooper Stella and Chuck Royce, Kevin Harmelink

Thanking Our 2010 Donor Party Sponsors

Grand Rapids Community Foundation gives a special thanks to its event
sponsors for making the 2010 donor party a great success.

Partner sponsors include:

Grand Action
Merrill Lynch
Varnum LLP

Friend sponsors include:

AMBS Investment Counsel LLC
Crowe Horwath LLP
Ellis Parking Company
Fifth Third Private Bank In kind sponsors:
Information Systems Intelligence (ISI) Plenty Creative
LaFleur & Godfrey Inc. Custom Printers
Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Inc. Quimby Walstrom Papers
Plante & Moran PLLC Graphic Specialties
Peggy Smith and Brenda Sain
 Newest Community Foundation Grants
Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees recently voted to approve $494,370 in new grants. The grants address
three main areas of need in Kent County—health, economic growth and engaging experienced adults.
Grant to Encourage
Healthy People
Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Project
received $100,000 to assist migrant victims
of domestic abuse. In partnership with Legal
Aid of Western Michigan, Michigan Migrant
Legal Assistance Project is starting a new
program to increase outreach to the migrant
worker population, targeting women who may
be victims of domestic violence. Women in this
situation are often reluctant to seek help due to
immigration, custody and residency challenges.
This grant was made possible by these
Community Foundation Funds:
• Orville and Jean Bulman Estate
• Robert J. Kulms Trust
• Glen C. Mason Fund
• Jeanette Shelly Warner Fund
If you are passionate about promoting personal
safety, healthy behaviors and quality access to
healthcare for all, please consider making a
gift to the Community Foundation’s Fund for
Healthy People.
8
Current
Grants to Build Economic
Prosperity
Literacy Center of West Michigan will use
$25,000 for its Blueprint for Literacy
program. With this grant, the Literacy Center
aims to serve more students, offer a technology
based curriculum, provide more community
literacy workshops and classes, and lead the
community’s literacy. This grant was made
possible by these Community Foundation Funds:
• Orianna D. Hooker Fund
• Ladies Literary Club Fund for Literary Arts
• Duncan Littlefair Literary Fund for Children
• Kent Charitable Fund
• Mary A. and Lenore G. Smith Fund
The SOURCE received $30,000 for the
Health Field Collaborative. This 18-month
grant will help The SOURCE do for healthcare
employers what it has already done for local
manufacturers—implement a successful model
for workforce retention and training. The
SOURCE will work with the Health Field
Collaborative, made up of seven Grand Rapids
health care providers, to develop more robust
programming in retention, career coaching,
training and developing the pipeline for new
employees. Working together will create
economies of scale and strengthen programming
for both entities. This grant was made possible
by these Community Foundation Funds:
• Marian A. Aldrich Fund
• Employees of Autocam Fund
• Edward H. Blickley Fund
Women’s Resource Center will use $58,150
for its Fresh Start program. A federal cut
pushed the Women’s Resource Center to find
other funders for its Fresh Start program. The
program improves women’s economic self
sufficiency, self esteem and ability to access
community resources for themselves and their
children. Program participants include
displaced homemakers, women reentering the
community after incarceration, unemployed
women with employment barriers and women
living in poverty, including those who are
working but still poor. This grant was made
possible by these Community Foundation
Funds:
• George M. Ames Fund
• William J. Chaille Fund
• Jane and Sam Kravitz Fund for Community
Good
• Margery Seeger Fund
If you like these grants and would like to
support our work in this area, please consider
making a gift to the Community Foundation’s
Fund for Economic Prosperity.
Grants to Engage
Experienced Adults
We made these five grants in October as part
of our Community Experience Partnership.
Supported by the Community Foundation, with
matching funds from Atlantic Philanthropies,
the Community Experience Partnership is
creating compelling opportunities for experienced
adults to help change our community’s
approach to families in housing crisis.
Disability Advocates of Kent County received
$40,000 to use experienced adults’ skills and
leadership abilities in community organizing
and advocacy for the Coalition to End
Homelessness.
Grand Rapids Area Center for Ecumenism
will use $43,170 to recruit experienced
adults to expand the Congregational
Partnership Program (CPP). CPP helps foster
housing stability and long-term economic
self-sufficiency in individuals and families by
pairing those facing a housing crisis with a
congregation or business committed to help.
Habitat for Humanity of Kent County received
$60,000 to build on the success of the
Carpenters Club. The Carpenters Club was
created so experienced adults can learn new
skills and become skilled team leaders or
assistants to Habitat site supervisors. Now
Habitat will launch Habitat Heroes to train
experienced adults as site supervisors.
Heart of West Michigan United Way’s
Volunteer Center will use $91,700 to recruit
experienced adults from targeted companies
and organizations. The Volunteer Center’s role
is to build the infrastructure for volunteering
and be an information clearinghouse—
providing information and resources to
agencies and volunteers.
Well House received $46,350 to engage
experienced adults in transitioning Well
House from an emergency shelter to a
permanent housing community. n
If you would like to
learn more about
Community Experience
Partnership and other
Encore investments,
please contact Kate
Luckert Schmid at
616.454.1751 or visit
www.grfoundation.org/encore.
 me†z Touching
the Future
Today
society
Metz Society Members
Jim and Janet Watkins
D
r. Jim and Janet Watkins
describe themselves as
ordinary people who have a
great deal of enthusiasm, but
the truth is their zest for Grand Rapids is
quite extraordinary.
After raising their children in East Grand
Rapids, Jim and Janet opted for an urban
lifestyle. They’ve called their downtown
condo home for the past 18 years and find
it ideally situated for taking in all that
Grand Rapids has to offer. “I can’t imagine
willfully moving away from here. We love
being in the middle of it all,” Janet said.
Friends and neighbors, including Chuck
and Stella Royce and Dirk and Victoria
Hoffius, and their estate planning
attorney, Carol Karr, introduced the
Watkins to Grand Rapids Community
Foundation more than a decade ago. Jim
and Janet are very active community
members. They frequent Community
Foundation events and have decided to
leave a portion of their estate to the
Community Foundation’s Fund for
Community Good.
They favor education and cultural
causes, yet, as Jim explained, believe “the
strength of the Community Foundation
is in knowing what the needs are in the
community. Our eventual gift will be
unrestricted because we trust the
professional staff and Trustees will know
what to do with it.” Janet added, “We’ve
included designations in our plan for
other organizations close to our hearts,
but we know the Community Foundation
will use our gift where it is needed most.” an urban renewal. Janet recalls visiting
the Grand Rapids Art Museum and seeing
Jim and Janet hail from the east side of
an exhibition of contemporary sculpture,
the state. Janet grew up in Birmingham,
sponsored by the Women’s Committee of
but traveled during her childhood as
GRAM. That show, paired with community
required by her father’s job as a
pride among people they met, sealed the
commercial photographer for the Navy.
deal for the Watkins. Grand Rapids bested
An only child, Janet
Madison, Wisconsin, and
recalls a cultural
Denver, Colorado, in the
upbringing
running for their new
surrounded by her “We’ve included
hometown. The family
parents’ friends, who designations in our estate
moved here in 1968.
were mostly artists plan for other organizations
and writers. She Jim and Janet found the
close to our hearts, but
followed in their community to be the ideal
we know the Community
footsteps and earned place to raise their children,
Foundation will use our gift
a design degree at Kathy, Bill, Chris and
where it is needed most.”
University of Bridget. Their children and
Michigan, where — Janet Watkins their families are now
she met Jim. spread across the country.
Janet says they love coming
Jim was raised in
back to visit and especially
Milford when it was a
enjoy spending time at the family’s cottage.
small farming community. While in
medical school, Jim’s father was called Besides their passion for their alma
back to Milford to run the family mater, Jim and Janet are supporters and
business—a fuel, feed and seed supply fans of Grand Valley State University.
store founded in the 1870s. Jim’s mother Janet serves as president of GVSU’s Grand
was a teacher and active community Forum, an educational outreach program
advocate. Both Jim and his older brother for adults 55 and older.
were able to finish what their father had
“The community has been good for our
started, because they attended U of M
family and for us. We feel very attached
and became physicians. Between his
to this area,” Jim said.
undergraduate work and medical school,
Jim also served in the Navy. “There is a spirit here that we love sharing
with visitors from other places. People
Jim trained in urology at the Cleveland
can make their dreams come true here.
Clinic before joining a practice in Indiana.
Anything is possible,” Janet said. n
The opportunity to move on came in
1967, as Grand Rapids was going through
 Year-End
Giving
Dates to
Know
Gifts. Growth. Grants.

Grand Rapids Community

How One Fund Is
Foundation will be closed on
the following dates in
Making a Difference
observance of the holidays:

• Friday, December 24, 2010
• Friday, December 31, closing at
3:00 p.m.
Gifts to be credited for
2010 tax returns must be:
• delivered to the Community
Foundation by 3 p.m. on Friday,
December 31, 2010
• postmarked on or before
December 31 or given
online by 11:59 p.m. on
December 31
Please note that complex
gifts, such as a gift of stock,
may take longer to facilitate. If
you are considering this type of
gift, please allow enough time
for processing. If you have
questions about ideal timelines,
please call the Community
Foundation development staff at
616.454.1751.
Thank you and happy holidays!
College Scholarship
Dates to Note:
T
he Kathryn and Dennis
Sullivan Charitable
Fund at Grand Rapids
Community Foundation
was established in 1991 with an
estate gift of $419,264.
Their fund is unique in that 50
percent of it is restricted, meaning
that half is set up to benefit in
perpetuity the nonprofits closest to
the Sullivans’ hearts: The Salvation
Army; St. Bernard’s Parish in Irons,
Michigan; St. John’s Home; and St.
Stephen’s Parish in Grand Rapids.
Each organization receives $3,000 to
$4,000 a year from the Fund.
The fund’s other half is a Field of
Interest Fund from which the
Community Foundation makes
awards more broadly to charitable
and educational programs of
religious organizations. Most
recently this fund portion has
supported a Lutheran Child and
Family Service of Michigan program
to offer prevention services to
families at risk of experiencing child
abuse and neglect. GRACE (Grand
Rapids Center for Ecumenism)
received a recent grant to support
the community’s effort to end
homelessness and promote
permanent housing.
Since 1991, the fund has made
grants totaling $431,416. The
current fund balance, which
continues to grow and provide for
the Sullivans’ philanthropic
interests, has grown to just shy of
$625,000.
The Sullivans were very private and
unassuming people, according to
Hilary Snell, the couple’s attorney.
“I represented them for many years
before they died. They were devout
Catholics who lived across the
street from St. Stephen’s church.
The parish was a large part of their
lives,” he said.
“The Sullivans were very good
people who managed their wealth
well,” said. Hilary.
Mr. Sullivan was the manager of a
hardware store in Grand Rapids, but
little else is known about them,
including how they came to learn
of the Community Foundation.
The chart below shows how the
original gift has grown and has
made grants since the fund was
created. n

Kathryn and Dennis Sullivan Charitable Fund

Gifts Growth Grants Current Fund Balance
January 1, 2011
$419,264 $636,339 $431,416 $624,187
10

Applications available at
www.grfoundation.org/scholarships
Current

April 1, 2011
Application deadline
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
M y C o mmu n it y M att e rs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Next Generation Donors and Attachment to Community
P
eople in my field speculate quite
often about the future of philanthropy.
Trying to know a little something
about what the future holds provides a
competitive edge and some peace of mind.
We often ponder how up-and-coming donors
will behave. Will today’s young people be as
generous as past generations have been?
Will the next generations of donors be as
attached to place as our current donors are?
We wonder about young people who leave
Grand Rapids for college or jobs. Will this
place bring them back at some point—
or are they gone for good?
Research has been done about many of
these questions and behaviors and Grand
Rapids Community Foundation is working
to apply this knowledge to our work and
community. An ongoing study about why
people love where they live, Soul of the
Community, captured our attention. The
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
commissioned the Gallup Poll to do this study.
Why people come, why they stay
While people may move to a community for
work, what keeps them there isn’t completely
the workplace. The Community Foundation’s
vision talks about being a magnetic and
interconnected West Michigan community.
We selected the word magnetic because,
like a magnet, we want to attract and keep
people here. The Knight/Gallup study has
identified the top three traits that emotionally
connect people to a community:
• Social offerings and fun gathering spots
that appeal to a wide range of ages,
marital statuses and incomes
• Aesthetics or physical beauty of urban
design and green space
• Openness to new and different people
To a lesser degree, the economy and quality
of public education also influence people’s
sense of attachment to place.
To read more of Diana’s writing about philanthropy and social change issues her blog features regular postings.
It can be accessed at grfoundation.org/blog. Your comments on her postings are welcome and encouraged.
And here’s another profound finding
from two years of research. There’s a
significant correlation between people’s
emotional connection to a community and
local economic growth. That is, those
communities with higher levels of attachment
also have higher levels of gross domestic
product growth. The study’s final year
will analyze which comes first, emotional
connection or economic growth.
These findings present a great opportunity
for Grand Rapids Community Foundation and
validate what we’ve been doing for years.
Some people think that funding the arts,
cultural competence, social enrichment and
the environment is “nice, but not essential.”
This study proves that creating a place of
inclusiveness, fun and physical beauty is
more than nice. It’s vital to our present and
future prosperity.
Ties that Bind
Here’s a sampling of our grants and
leadership helping connect people to
our community:
Community openness
• We’ve worked on cultural competence
within the Community Foundation and
with our grantees.
• We recently hosted a newcomer event
in partnership with Grand Rapids Area
Chamber of Commerce and Experience
Grand Rapids.
• Our Friends Advisory Council, a group of
20+ younger and diverse people is
helping us reach out to new audiences.
So, how does this relate to
future donors?
We’ve known and understood from
relationships with many donors that a desire
to give to the community comes from two
things. First, people want to give back
because a community has helped them
prosper, usually in a business or profession.
Second, people who give to us always
express a deep connection to the Grand
Rapids area.
If we continue to create a place that people
love to live in, then future donors, like our
present donors, will want to give back. This
multigenerational shared desire will continue
to sustain and grow this place we care so
much about. n
Social offerings
• We’ve supported the capital campaigns
of the Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids
Art Museum, Civic Theatre and UICA.
We also helped the Community Media
Center purchase Wealthy Theatre and
launch The Rapidian.
• We support our local arts organizations
through the What’s Your Art GR.com?
campaign.
Aesthetics
• We’ve awarded grants to create
Millennium Park and other parks and
to preserve and expand bike trails.
• We’ve made grants for façade
improvements in the Wealthy Street
and Creston business corridors.
 Grand Rapids Community Foundation
Nonprofit
185 Oakes Street S.W. Organization
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 U.S. Postage
P A I D
Grand Rapids, MI
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Up and Coming
in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids Community Foundation adds a round

of applause for several people recently named in
Grand Rapids Business Journal’s “40 Under 40”
annual list. We were pleased to note that the 2010
list included some of our young donors, friends and
many nonprofit leaders in Kent County. n WELCOME TO
Vaughn Love
Congratulations to:
Rosalynn Bliss—Director/Residential Services, Grand Rapids Community Foundation
D.A. Blodgett St. John’s Home was extremely pleased to receive a
Mentor Michigan College Coaching
If you are Matthew Downey—Director, Nonprofit Services Corps AmeriCorps position for this
and Development at GVSU’s Johnson Center year. We were even more pleased to
receiving duplicate Rosalynn Bliss
Steve Faber—Executive Director, Friends of offer this position to Vaughn Love.
copies of Current,
Grand Rapids Parks A Grand Rapids native, Vaughn is a
let us know, and
Emily Stoddard Furrow­—Partner at DVQ Studio graduate of City High School and
please pass one Western Michigan and Indiana
Elissa Hillary—Executive Director, Local First
along to a friend. universities. Her work experience
Rachel Hood—Executive Director, West Michigan includes the Entrada Scholars
Environmental Action Council Program at Calvin College and
Rachel Mraz tutoring at Southeast Career
Lorissa MacAllister—President, Enviah
Pathways.
Rachel Mraz—Wealth Management Advisor,
Merrill Lynch Vaughn will create and strengthen
mentor matches for the Youth
Jason Paulateer—Vice President and
Enrichment Scholarship (YES)
Development Advisor, PNC Bank
program. She’ll also expand program
Darius Quinn—Human Resources Manager, activities to help older YES students
Kent County Amy Ruis focus on college planning.
Amy Ruis—Owner, Art of the Table “I am excited to dedicate this year of
Stacy Stout—Education Director, Hispanic Center service with the AmeriCorps program
of West Michigan to the Community Foundation and to
help young people have enriching
Latricia Trice—Communication Director, opportunities and college aspirations.
Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce I can’t think of more important work
Bridget Clark Whitney—Executive Director, than helping young people discover
Kids’ Food Basket new horizons,” Vaughn said. n