Among the several hundred good reasons to live, work, and play in West Michigan are the “usual suspects”—the lovely, quaint towns full of shopping and dining and entertainment; the unmatched and largely unspoiled natural environment of the rivers, lake, dunes, and forests; the sophistication of the residents and the intelligence, empathy, and openness that comes along with it. But undeniably the very best reason to make this place home is the generosity and caring of our neighbors and friends here. The good hearts. The graces given. The care for those who need it.
This generosity of spirit is again exemplified by what we consider to be a stunning response to the Rotary Club’s call for support for the Boys & Girls Club through the just-completed Interurban Cup Mini-Golf Tournament and the annual running of the Mt. Baldhead Challenge—what we call “The Ultimate Multi-Terrain Race.” Net proceeds from those two events go directly to fund the start-up of after-school and summer enrichment programs for our kids in the Saugatuck Public Schools, delivered by professionals from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Holland. We have been successful in drawing enough support from across the community to have reached our $100,000 fundraising goal for 2021 with three months to spare. In fact, we’ll report a significant increment over that goal once the beans are counted and the reports filed.
This community-wide support will fully fund the second of a three-year commitment to launch and stabilize proven programs for after-school and summer activities and tutoring for our schoolchildren. (The Rotary Club had raised the first $100,000 in 2019 and 2020). And the largesse came from everywhere. Ranging from the generosity of the churches—All Saints’ Episcopal, The Douglas UCC, and St. Peter’s Catholic Church—to local businesses such as Twisthink, Cottage Home, Edward Jones/GeorgeStoutin, and Coral Gables/Mike Johnson. And even individuals in their philanthropy, including Dick and Ethie Haworth through Haworth Helps (Boy, do they EVER)! Renee Zita, Wendy and Craig Spoelhof, and “Pop” Lewis, Garnet’s father. Fourteen restaurants from Holland and Saugatuck-Douglas sponsored the Interurban Cup Mini-Golf Tournament, in which 135 pretty proficient putters played. The three local municipalities and the public agencies that keep us safe all chipped in. There are too many others for this letter to name, but we will formally recognize all our sponsors publicly in the next week or two.
All we want to say is thank you in such a way that everyone in these special towns comes to understand the breadth of goodness and magnanimity present here. What an antidote to the anger and mean-spirited vitriol elsewhere in the world. We hope this helps you see it. Enjoy it. Celebrate it! Thank you.
