House Ministries Spring Gala

Thank you to everyone who sponsored and attended the 2023 David’s House Ministries Spring Gala. Your unwavering commitment to providing quality Christian care to individuals with developmental disabilities keeps our mission alive. This year we had over 550 people in attendance, 47 event sponsors, and raised over $175,000.

The night was filled with conversations about the importance of having a home like David’s House that not only provides direct care but meets the whole person’s needs. Taking care of the entire person means going above and beyond to ensure individuals can make friends, go out into the community, maintain jobs, and live a fulfilled life!

Speakers included President Casey Kuperus, family Member Nate Koetje, and Vice President Greg Vander Goot. Board Member Carl Dufendach and family member Don Denyes helped us open and close in prayer.

Everyone in attendance also had the opportunity to enjoy an outstanding performance from recording Christian musician Josh Wilson. Wilson also visited our Wyoming Community earlier on March 20 to give a personal concert and sign autographs for the individuals we serve.

Though our mission is to provide love and care to those who call David’s House their home, we also impact their family members. We are proud that this event was able to showcase the peace of mind we provide to not only individuals with disabilities but their families as well.

Thank you to everyone who came to this year’s Spring Gala. We hope to see you again next year!

The Dejong Family

In Memory of Kevin Heys

Resident Spotlight | Daniel

Meet Daniel! Daniel has lived in the Grandville Friendship Homes since February 2002 and joined David’s House Ministries in May 2022.

One thing everyone should know about Daniel is that he loves sports, and he enjoys watching Basketball, and frequently attends Calvin University Men’s Basketball games. He is also part of a bowling league that plays on Mondays at Hudsonville Lanes and plays softball through the Grandville Little League in the Challenger Bracket. Five out of his six roommates participate in that!

He works one day a week at Calvin University, doing janitorial work at some dining halls.

Reading the Bible is one of his favorite pastimes. He attends Sovereign Grace United Reformed Church every Sunday.

Living at DHMIN, he enjoys his roommates, especially his best friend, Robert. Farkle is their favorite game, and they play it every Saturday.

Since the Grandville Homes joined DHMIN, Daniel has enjoyed the Walk/Ride/Run, the Summer Concert Series, and the DHMIN Summer Camp. His favorite band from the Summer Concert Series was Lamplight.

He enjoys spending time with his family, especially his brother John. Daniel visits them every Sunday.

His favorite memories from living at Ivanrest are Christmas parties with the All Pine ladies and celebrating people’s birthdays. This Christmas, they went to Russ’ for dinner.

John 3:16 is his favorite Bible verse. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Staff Spotlight | Emilie Azkoul

Meet Emilie Azkoul, our Director of Human Resources! Emilie discovered David’s House Ministries in the early ‘90s through her church, and she visited back then with her family because the home manager was in her Adult Bible Fellowship.

“We loved the heart of the ministry,” Emilie said.

Emilie started on December 1st of 2022.

“I had been thinking about changing my work but hoped to stay within the HR profession. When I saw the posting for David’s House, I knew this would be a great place based on my past interactions and the wonderful reputation of DHMIN,” Emilie said.

Her experience in Human Resources is an excellent addition to our administrative team. Most recently, she worked in the Human Resources Department at Cornerstone University, and prior to that, she worked at Saint Mary’s Hospital.

Already Emilie has begun building strong connections with residents and staff. The people are her favorite part of the job so far.

“The residents and staff are so amazing! I also appreciate the emphasis of people being put first in decisions and planning for the future. That makes DHMIN a wonderful place to have an HR role,” Emilie said.

One of Emilie’s highlights of joining this community was that as we addressed the staffing shortages, she could do more recruitment and hiring than she did in her previous HR positions. It has been so rewarding for her because she has gotten to know the new employees as they come in.

Outside of work, Emilie and her husband are the parents of three adult daughters and grandparents of 10 incredibly fun grandchildren.

Her favorite quote is by Max DePree: “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”