Read Fall 2007 Edition
Read Spring 2007 Edition
Read Fall 2006 Edition (4MB PDF)
Read Spring 2006 Edition (4MB PDF) Spring 2007 Edition Featured Newsletter Stories Raising the Curtain on the Playhouse
“These are the wonderful things that are my life”, said Edna Blomdahl in a 1999 Muskegon Chronicle article about her planned $800,000 bequest to the Community Foundation for Muskegon County. Those wonderful things included her 64-year marriage to Leonard, their house next to the Howmet Playhouse and their mutual love for their hometown of Whitehall. more... Fruitport & Ravenna Education Foundation Funds
The #1 short-term goal identified in a strategic planning process by Fruitport Schools in 2005 was to create a Fruitport Schools Foundation. With support from Gene Young, retired Fruitport Community Education Director, a group of dedicated Fruitport residents united for a common purpose: to provide financial assistance for Fruitport students via scholarships and to support a strong education system. more... A Mother's Legacy of Making a Difference
Eighty years ago Tomasa Ramirez was born in Round Rock, Texas, one of ten children to immigrant parents who worked in the fields as farm labor. Tomasa attended a segregated Mexican-only school through her elementary years but dropped out of the local high school in 10th grade when her family began to migrate to Michigan. more... Honoring 50 years of Marriage
When one reaches a 50 year marriage milestone the question of how to celebrate offers many possibilities. For John Day, it is time to find a way to honor his wife Janet and their 50 successful years together. It is time to also celebrate a family’s long legacy of community service. Unknown to Janet, John set up the Janet B. and John M. Day 50th Fund.
more... Changing Lives at the Muskegon Recreation Center
“We had a dead building here,” acknowledged Matt Kolkema, Muskegon City Police Detective about the Smith-Ryerson building in the Jackson Hill neighborhood. “This building was sitting here idle and we had been looking for a place to start the Muskegon Recreation Center (MRC).” Kolkema approached the City of Muskegon, who owns the building, to help provide a safe place for young people to gather and learn. Muskgeon City commissioners agreed and the MRC was born. more... New Technologies
The Community Foundation for Muskegon County’s web site now features five dynamic online features on www.cffmc.org.
more...
Fall 2005 Edition Featured Newsletter Stories Tips for Donors - Planning for a Future
A Charitable Gift Annuity provides the means to make a generous charitable gift while providing an income source you can count on for the rest of your life. Here is how it works. more... A Road to Our Future
On August 30, 2005, under a spectacular blue Muskegon sky, a group of cyclists wheeled into downtown led by Congressman Pete Hoekstra to begin the Groundbreaking for Western Avenue's reconstruction! more... Building a "Brave New World"
As teenagers Jessica Holden and Nicole Kolberg were given to some good natured eye rolling when their father Larry Lapomarda woke them for school each morning saying "It's time to go build a brave new world!" As adults, it's obvious they were listening. more... Homeless Prevention Efforts Receive a Foundation Boost
With support from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County and the Council of Michigan Foundations, the Muskegon County Homeless Continuum of Care network (MCHCCN), a homeless prevention initiative, has initiated a series of efforts designed to give greater visibility and prominence to the issue of homelessness in the Muskegon region.more... Frauenthal Center Celebrates 75 Years of Ultimate Entertainment
In 1930 the Frauenthal Theatre (formerly known as the Michigan Theatre) opened its doors as the first 100% all talking motion picture theatre in Michigan, and quickly became the cornerstone of the arts in Muskegon and Western Michigan. more... The Power of One Yields Opportunity for Many
Bud Westgate understood the importance of working hard and taking advantage of the opportunities that life presented him. Bud passed away this May but not before touching the lives of thousands of people here in West Michigan during his long life. more... Knowing There is Someone Who Cares
"A single magic moment." In the eyes of the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) program that is what can make all of the difference in the life of a child. "It's the little things that Big Brothers and Big Sisters do together that make a difference -- playing Frisbee, going to a ballgame, reading books on the back porch, baking cookies . . ." says Brian Obits, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lakeshore. more... A True "Power Lunch"
The 2005 Community Foundation for Muskegon County Annual Meeting gave new meaning to the phrase "power lunch." The luncheon held June 24 was attended by more than 250 donors and friends of the Foundation. The program focused on "power" following the Foundation's Annual Report theme "The Power of You." more...
Spring 2005 Edition Featured Newsletter Stories Creating A Legacy - "Giving Back" with a Trust Fund
Dr William Schroeder Jr. (Bill to his friends) is many things. He has experienced first hand the work of the Community Foundation and knows how it touches the lives of so many of us who call the Muskegon region "home".more... A Chance Occurrence, An Inspirational Message
A fluke. A chance occurrence. Choose any description you prefer, but one day in 1966 out-of-town visitor Wyart Green heard the kind voice of WMUS radio personality "Mother Davis" on a taxicab radio and a bond was formed which these many years later is still helping promote Davis' inspirational mission. more... Beautiful Music: Student Advisors Assist WSSO
Talented student musicians from several Muskegon County high schools are helping the West Shore Symphony Orchestra (WSSO) develop youth educational programs thanks in part to a grant from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County Youth Advisory Council (YAC). more... Community Foundations "Team-Up" For Trails
The Community Foundation for Muskegon County and five other West Michigan Foundations are working together to promote completion of 510 miles of regional hiking and biking trails in West Michigan. Over the last four years, six West Michigan Community Foundations have collaborated on a variety of regional marketing efforts including radio and television ads promoting Community Foundation brand awareness - For good. For ever.¨ more...
Fall 2004 Edition Featured Newsletter Stories A Desire to Inspire
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. more... Childhood Memories Lead to Philanthropy
Thinking back over the decades there is much that Alice Gates, "Miss Alice" to her friends and neighbors, remembers about attending Muskegon’s one-room Maple Ridge School on Buys Road. more... Charitable Gift Annuities: An Opportunity To "Give Back"
For those who would like to "give back" to their community creating a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) is a wonderful option, according to Muskegon area residents Wayne and Joyce Dulyea and Jerry and Linda Bakke. more...
Spring 2004 Edition Featured Newsletter Stories A Community Foundation for All -
The African American community has a rich tradition of giving in the Muskegon region. Evidence of that generosity is reflected by those with passion for the community and concern for the generations who will follow. more... A Modest Woman's Gift Benefits Hospice of Muskegon/Oceana
Edith Anderson was not an heiress. She never held a high-powered corporate executive position or won the lottery. But when she died in July, 2002, the Muskegon woman who worked 40 years in secretarial jobs had invested her modest paychecks wisely... more... Florence Cassell-Roosen: A Loving Legacy
Florence Cassell-Roosen was not the type of person who would brag. Her three grown children never knew she had once been asked to dance with legendary choreographer George Balanchine or been invited to be a Rockette until they were preparing to celebrate her 50th year of teaching dance more...
Fall 2003 Edition Featured Newsletter Stories Instilling a Love For Reading
The Patrick and Christine Nolan Advised Fund During the years he taught fourth grade in New Buffalo, MI., Pat Nolan developed an immensely popular reading routine with his students. Several times a week he would spend an hour reading aloud. more... Community Foundation for Muskegon County
2003 Scholarship Recipients more... | 
