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All posts categorized “Stories of Giving” (23)

August 13, 2018
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Building Dreams as a Team

Some things were just meant to be – like Mary Vonk and David Mapes meeting – of all places – at a Meijer store. Today, Dave and Mary Mapes have been married nearly 30 years,…

August 13, 2018
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Building to Preserve a Legacy

David Grant Dvorak M.D. and Karol J. Peterson live across from one another on Gull Lake, a 10-minute drive by car, or a 5-minute jaunt by boat. But when this couple wants to…

January 18, 2017
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A Pathway to the “A-Ha!” Moment

Years ago, when visiting his daughter in Chicago, Dale Atkinson often made a side trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden and thought it would be nice if Grand Rapids had a place like…

January 16, 2017
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Choosing a Pathway to Help Others

When Cheryl and Steve Wonch re-wind the story of their lives, the tape settles on a time and place from nearly four decades ago, revealing a preschool in need. “Our kids were…

January 12, 2017
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A Pathway to Personal Enrichment

It was love at first sight. At very first sight, in fact - not only was she among the first visitors when Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park opened in April 1995, Valerie…

January 11, 2017
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Pathway to Solace, Joy and Inspiration

Get lost in Meijer Gardens! That’s the humble advice of Glen Johnson, who speaks with uncommon eloquence and a clear passion about the fixed objects of art that inhabit the…

January 30, 2012
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Fred Meijer Remembered

Among his many gifts to his community and the world, Fred Meijer likely will be remembered for creating the Gardens and Sculpture Park bearing his name. Less well known, but…

August 25, 2011
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The Beauty She Cultivated Grows and Blooms Forever

Wherever she went, Connie Snell spread beauty. “She venerated the beauty that flowers could bring to the neighborhood, to our community,” her husband, Hilary Snell,…

January 27, 2011
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Harvey Lemmen on Gift Annuities

In the Grand Atrium of the Grand Room, a small plaque says a lot about a modest man and long-time benefactor of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. When he donated money…

January 27, 2011
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Kapteyn Family–Good Example of Multi-Generational Giving

C. Thomas and Evelyne Kapteyn have been involved with the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park from its beginnings. “When it was being built, I bought a brick with my wife’s…