<< Return to Foundation Focus Page A Desire to Inspire Nan Riekse demonstrates the "Power of One." Like so many people, Fruitport resident Nan Riekse lives a very busy life. She gives her all in a job she loves and in her spare time she also works hard at her hobbies and renovating her home. But Riekse also has a loftier dream . . . she wants to inspire. Riekse has taken the first steps toward achieving her dream by establishing both the "Nan Riekse Donor Advised Fund" and the "Nan Riekse Scholarship Fund" through the Community Foundation for Muskegon County. "In this fast-paced me,me,me world we must take time to inspire," she says. She hopes that the income from her Donor Advised Fund will eventually benefit local churches as well as an area senior care center. Her scholarship fund is intended to support non-traditional students with financial need attending Muskegon Community College; in particular she would like to help adult women who may be attending school after raising their children or perhaps rebuilding their lives following a divorce. Nan’s philanthropy is totally in keeping with her "smart and caring" personality, notes Dr. Mary West, a physician with Fruitport Family Medicine where Riekse works as a medical receptionist. "I'm not at all surprised she did this," says West. " She's a delightful lady and very wise. "She's extremely responsible and this is exactly the sort of thing she would do." Riekse's philanthropy was made possible after she received an inheritance following her father's death last year; her mother passed away some time ago. Her parents, Fred and Cleo, were "wonderful, caring, loving people," states Riekse, who lives in the home her father built when she was a small child. "I feel very blessed and very fortunate and I feel that I need to give back," she says. A 1972 Fruitport High School graduate, Riekse attended college briefly then worked for a jewelry store before spending 18 years as an employee of K-Mart. When she eventually decided to go to MCC to take general courses, she realized she was lucky that she had enough money to be able to easily return to school. "I was fortunate, but I know a lot of people are not in the same situation," she says. "Education is one of the key elements in life and it is something I feel strongly about. That's one of the reasons I established the Scholarship Fund. I thought if I could get one person to enroll, just by buying their books perhaps, it would make a difference." Nan is a wonderful example of the “Power of One.” << Return to Foundation Focus Page