Donor Advised Fund
Steve and Lauri Sisson
For Steve and Lauri Sisson, a shared passion for hard work, family, and sailing sparked a lifelong commitment to building community and giving back.
Both Holland High graduates, Steve and Lauri knew of one another through their overlapping social circles. They were officially introduced by mutual friends at Pereddies restaurant, where Lauri worked and Steve frequently attended business dinners with his family.
Steve moved to Holland in the second grade when his father took a job at Haworth. An engineer by trade, but an entrepreneur at heart, his father founded Karona Door in 1980. “As the youngest child, I had a uniquely close view into the trials and tribulations of running a business,” said Steve. “My parents worked a lot to grow the company, so it was time on the water that was our family time.”
Steve’s father was instrumental in founding the non-profit Macatawa Bay Juniors Association (MBJA) Sailing School, which promotes junior sailing and creates opportunities for youth in the Holland community to learn how to sail. Steve, who served many years on its Board, including a term as Chair, was among its first graduates.
Born in Rhode Island, Lauri lived with her grandparents in the Castle Park neighborhood for part of her childhood while her father served in the Navy. Her connections to West Michigan trace back several generations. Her great-grandfather built the Central Park Summer Chapel, and in a nod to that history, Steve and Lauri chose the chapel as the location for their wedding ceremony.
Lauri has two children from a previous marriage, Shari and John, and she and Steve welcomed a daughter, Caroline, together. “Our weekends were spent with youth sports, and sailboat racing.” An active family, their children all played numerous sports, which included swimming, soccer, water polo, and more.
About 15 years ago, MBJA began fundraising for a building for the Junior Sailing Center program. At the same time, Steve was working with Don Wassink, the President of Karona Door. Don had a close relationship with CFHZ, and recommended Steve get involved both for the success of the MBJA campaign and his personal philanthropy.
“As we became more successful in life, we found ourselves with more to give. Through our involvement with sailing and other sports our kids were engaged in, we realized there were many children in the community who could benefit from extra resources and support,” Steve commented. The Sissons started with causes closest to their hearts – funding junior sailing, swimming, and water safety classes.
Lauri’s successful career in real estate allowed the Sisson’s to expand their philanthropy. In 2015, they established the Steve and Lauri Sisson Family Fund, a donor advised fund at CFHZ, to organize their personal philanthropy. “Our motto is work hard, play hard, give hard, and the Community Foundation makes the giving part easy,” Lauri said. “One check a year funds our balance, and we know CFHZ will handle all the administrative details and make it easy to give to the causes we care about.”
Through their fund, Steve and Lauri have supported several youth-serving organizations like Children’s Advocacy Center, Kids Food Basket, Holland Aquatic Center, and the Holland/Zeeland Promise program. Lauri said of the Promise, “The program speaks to our hearts. I put myself through school and remember how hard it was. I worked three jobs in the summer and a full-time job during school. We know hard work is important, but it’s not the only key to success. It’s meaningful to provide opportunities that might be out of reach for these students despite their hard work and make sure their talents can continue to grow and benefit the community.” Steve shared, “My perspective is different. I have been very lucky in life and was provided with a lot of opportunities. I know that not everyone has the same access, which is why it is important to us to support the Promise program.”
Now the Sisson’s find joy in watching their legacy continue as their children become philanthropic themselves and share their time, talents, and treasure with causes that are important to them. Their daughter Caroline has a friend who teaches elementary school at West Ottawa. For many years Caroline would buy Christmas gifts for the entire class of students. This became a tradition that the family participated in every year. “It’s moving to watch them contribute to their community,” they said. “Knowing that our passion for giving back will continue through our children is one of the greatest gifts as parents.”