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Posted on December 04, 2018 – Posted by:

Youth in Philanthropy

This past October, Rob Collier, former president of the Council for Michigan Foundations, invited me to be a closing plenary speaker for the CMF Annual Conference. The featured speaker for the event was Frans Johansson [...]
Posted on November 20, 2018 – Posted by:

Why I Give: A Conversation with Jenine Torres

For nearly a century, Grand Rapids Community Foundation has been in the business of understanding our community’s needs. Sometimes, as a development officer, I wonder how our founders could even comprehend the impact this organization [...]
Posted on November 16, 2018 – Posted by:

California Wildfires 2018: How You Can Help

The 2018 wildfire season has devastated communities throughout California due to high temperatures and dry conditions. The Camp Fire in Butte County is the deadliest and most destructive in California history with a death toll in [...]
Posted on November 09, 2018 – Posted by:

2018 Jack Chaille Community Philanthropy Award Recipients: Carol Sarosik and Shelley Padnos

At the 2018 Grand Rapids Community Foundation Donor Celebration, Carol Sarosik and Shelley Padnos were awarded with the 2018 Jack Chaille Community Philanthropy Award. Carol and Shelley are transformational leaders. Learn more about this power couple and the [...]
Posted on October 11, 2018 – Posted by:

PARTNERS in community, Fall 2018

Our Spring Current is hot off the press! Learn about great new grants, donors making a difference, and our continued efforts to work toward an inclusive economy and thriving community!
Posted on September 26, 2018 – Posted by:

IRA Charitable Rollover Helps Abe and Anne Rossi Give Back Better

Giving back is a part of life for Abe and Anne Rossi. “We’ve had many fallbacks in our life with the family business, but the Lord has always provided. We’ve felt blessed, and it is [...]
Posted on September 25, 2018 – Posted by:

Hurricane Florence: How to Help

In early September, Hurricane Florence caused severe damage to the Carolinas and Virginia. In parts of South Carolina, water floods the streets, in some areas as high as 10 feet, causing many residents to evacuate [...]
Posted on July 05, 2018 – Posted by:

Conversation with Linsey Gleason: Estate Planning Expert

On June 13, we were honored to have Linsey Gleason, partner in the Estate Planning Practice Team at Varnum, join us for a Facebook live session on estate planning. Like many things in life, the video did not go exactly [...]
Posted on June 05, 2018 – Posted by:

Love & Legacy

Be a good person. Do great work. Have an impact. These are principles Chad Zagel and Ellie Frey Zagel live by and ultimately hope to be remembered for. Their estate plan is one of many ways [...]
Posted on May 29, 2018 – Posted by:

Organizing Your Legacy

Organizing your estate plan is an act of love for your family and your community. We know that the task can seem daunting when you begin to consider how many details there are to track [...]
Posted on May 21, 2018 – Posted by:

Simple and Inexpensive Ways to Do Good Through Planned Giving

The most common way to leave a gift at the end of your life is through a simple bequest in your will. But if the idea of a gift from your will conjures up visions [...]
Posted on April 04, 2018 – Posted by:

It’s Not About the Stuff; It’s about the People You Love

Last year in a special edition of Current we featured a story from Lisa Rose, a friend of Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Her story below reminds all of us that estate planning and planned giving is an [...]