BUILDING A PHILANTHROPIC LEGACY
IN WEST MICHIGAN
When he was a student at Wyoming Public Schools, Anthony Lambers faced serious challenges. Today, he is changing the circumstances for others, honoring a mentor and friend, and writing a new story by establishing a scholarship.
A LIFELONG RELATIONSHIP INSPIRES GIVING An intangible quality first connected Anthony and Richard “RP” Pullen, an English teacher at Wyoming High School. “There was something about him that I just trusted more than I trusted anybody else,” Anthony said. “I told him what I was going through, and our story started from there. The reason I even stayed in school was because I wanted to see him every day.” Their relationship grew to that of father and son. When RP passed away of colon cancer in late 2015, Anthony began to consider how to honor RP’s life and the lessons he had shared. After evaluating different philanthropic avenues for giving and fund types, Anthony decided to focus on benefitting students and created an endowed scholarship, so a perpetual gift and legacy would be created in their names. The Pullen/Lambers Family Memorial Scholarship supports students from either Wyoming High School or Muskegon High School, where Anthony now lives, with preference given to students planning to major in education or entrepreneurial studies. The first scholarship from the fund was awarded in 2020.
ESTABLISHING A LEGACY THROUGH AN ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP When Anthony was deciding how and where to establish the scholarship, his friend and financial advisor, Brenda Kading-Payne, recommended Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Unlike some sponsor organizations, the Community Foundation requires $50,000 to establish an endowed scholarship. Anthony thought of it as a challenge to, as he put it “be in the books in Grand Rapids,” to have his name connected to others of importance. Anthony donates a portion of the commission he earns as a real estate agent to the fund. He has also taken unique approaches to fundraising, like hosting annual Backspin dance parties. As he has grown the scholarship fund and established a legacy for RP, Anthony has also come to terms with the scrutiny and recognition he receives. He has found worth in establishing his own legacy. “It is okay to want to have something for yourself, especially when it’s positive and it’s giving. At the end of the day, the thing that I get out of it is a sense of belonging. I don’t get any money from it. I’m not getting
a scholarship from it. Other people are. That’s the giving part that goes back to the community,” he said. Anthony hopes his sons will embrace and carry on the legacy and sense of belonging established through the Pullen/Lambers Family Memorial Scholarship. And he would be the first to tell you how stark the contrast is between his current life and past. He said, “Growing up, I was a troublemaker, you know, I was a criminal. I had a bad attitude. I was fighting all the time. I went to prison for robbery. There was some things in my life coming through Wyoming where I really hurt Wyoming. How cool is it to be able to start in Grand Rapids as an armed robber and then end up as a giver? How often does that happen?”
BELIEVING IN STUDENTS Before establishing the scholarship, Anthony would visit Wyoming High School, acting as a listening ear to students facing their own challenges. He found young people with dreams he wanted to foster, facing barriers he knew could be overcome. “A lot of them did want to go to college. And a lot of them did want to be entrepreneurs, but in their mind, financially that just wasn’t going to happen for them. And they were, just being accepting that they were never going to be able to take that route. Anthony’s hope for the students who receive this scholarship is that they feel supported in pursuing their goals, like RP supported him. “I think one thing RP was really good at was that he never killed my dream,” Anthony said. “Any dream I ever had, an adult killed. It wasn’t my work ethic or it wasn’t what I felt about it or believed in, it was always an adult that killed that dream. ‘You can’t do it. You shouldn’t do it. It won’t work. Didn’t work for me. Didn’t work for that person.’ RP never did that.” The fund’s first recipients were selected this year. They’ll receive financial support for their education, along with the knowledge that people in their community believe in them. Anthony participated in the scholarship selection process, working with a committee of volunteers to review applications and read essays from students. Many applicants were first generation students. That is meaningful to Anthony, because he sees education as a way to break the cycle of poverty and create a ripple effect for families. “Really, what I’m saying is, I want to contribute to your dreams and your passions. I want to be a little bit of a stepping stone, influence, motivation, inspiration for them to go after whatever it is they want.”
If you are interested in creating opportunities for students in Kent County, let’s talk! Reach a member of our development team at 616.454.1751.
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Anthony with his sons and members of the Pullen family after establishing the scholarship in RP’s honor.
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