PARTNERS in Love & Legacy

As this community’s foundation, we have been working to make small steps toward big change for more than 102 years. We are in the business of changing systems to improve the lives of everyone who calls Kent County home, today and in the future. We are proud to stand alongside passionate partners like you who graciously offer your time, talent, treasure and testimony. You help us get things done to realize our mission of building and managing our community’s permanent endowment and leading the community to strengthen the lives of its people.

While inspiring, this work can be intimidating. The issues are nuanced or “knotty,” as we like to describe them. The labor is heavy, but the rewards are meaningful. So, we persist. We are fueled by love for this place and, more importantly, love for people. We are motivated by the progress we have made together—iterative, yet impactful. We are transformed by the lessons we’ve learned and the lives we’ve been touched by. This work matters. Your contributions matter.

The commitments of partners from generations past are being felt today in the many ways we are showing up in the pursuit of racial, social and economic justice. We see many institutions—who leaned into diversity, equity and inclusion efforts when it was popular—now step back from these commitments. We invite new and existing partners to join us as we continue to step up and look to our North Star as our guide:

For West Michigan to grow and prosper, we must make sure that everyone can apply their talents and creativity to fuel our future. It is only by connecting across perspectives and overcoming inequities that we can build and sustain an inclusive economy and thriving community.

We are staying the course for as long as inequities persist.

I encourage you to keep showing up with us and to keep pushing toward the collective change we want to see in our community. As we embark on strategic planning for the next chapter in the Community Foundation’s long history of service and impact, we are inspired by your generosity, steadfastness and vision for the future.

In this issue of PARTNERS in community, we honor the life and legacy of Ken Larm, who partnered with the Community Foundation to ensure his philanthropic legacy was felt in our community long after his passing. We do a deep dive into how our investments through our Fund for Community Good have evolved over time, maximizing our impact. And we learn more about how donor partners Bill and Karen Lawrence have strengthened their partnership with the Community Foundation over the years to help make their vision for a more equitable West Michigan a reality.

Partners together,

LaSandra A. Gaddy

President and CEO Grand Rapids Community Foundation