The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation Board
Board of Trustees
The Governing Board of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation is made up of local leaders from diverse backgrounds. Our trustees provide invaluable guidance and vision for all areas of our work. These individuals donate their time, energy, and expertise to help us identify opportunities for long-term community impact, respond swiftly and appropriately when unforeseen challenges arise, and address our community’s ever-changing social, cultural, educational, and greatest needs.
Barb VanHeest
Chair
Chase Bank
Mark Pereira
Vice Chair
Brilliance Publishing/Amazon
Keith Konarska
Secretary
Retired Superintendent
Anil Mandala
Treasurer
V Solutions Global
Cindy Anderson
Retired Educator
Mary Carole Cotter
Attorney/NOCH VolunteerServices Dept.
Nelson Jacobson
JSJ Corporation
Natalia Kovicak
Economic Club of Grand Rapids
David Swain
Dentist
Pat VerDuin
Workforce development
Shirley Woodruff
Heritage Property Management
Recent Blog Posts
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Community Book Read
In honor of our 50th anniversary, we were able to make possible several smaller, community-focused activities including the donation of books to students. In May of this year, we gave a copy of the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? to every Northwest Ottawa County second grader, local public libraries as well as school and classroom libraries. This resulted in a total of nearly 1,000 books gifted.
Grant Lifts Up Program for Latinx Leaders
The Board of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation is pleased to announce four third-round Community Impact grant awards, totaling $275,000, in support of Northwest Ottawa County and our surrounding communities. This includes a $40,000 grant to Tri-Cities Puentes Initiative for “LEADeres Lakeshore,” a leadership and professional development program for Latinx professionals and leaders in the lakeshore area.
Leaving a legacy, one student at a time
Education affordability is a significant issue for our local graduates. Improving the accessibility of post-secondary opportunities is a priority for the foundation. This year, we awarded scholarships to 224 students in the Northwest Ottawa County area, providing a total of $655,095 worth of assistance.