David and Carol Myers grew up in different families, but they share the same giving philosophy. As children, both learned to tithe, giving away 10% of their allowances.
David and Carol met and married while undergraduates at Whitworth College in Spokane. After graduate school in Iowa City, the Myers moved their young family to Holland for David to take a position in Hope College’s psychology department. Fifty-five years later he’s, although unsalaried since 1998, still not retired. Five and a half days most weeks he’s in his Hope office, authoring essays and psychological science textbooks.
Carol has held multiple positions on local and national organizations’ boards and committees. She also founded the St. Nicholas Center, a virtual resource devoted to educating people about the person of faith behind Santa Claus and his importance in today’s world. The site has over a million visitors annually and correspondence from all over the world.
David’s textbooks have been distributed worldwide, generating substantial royalties. These financial blessings were unexpected. “We always thought we would have a modest income,” said David. “I could have become a doctor, but ended up supporting a family of five on what was essentially a teacher’s salary.” As their resources grew, the Myers embraced a philosophy of stewardship informed by their faith. “Anything that we have and any wealth that we are blessed with is fundamentally not ours,” said David. “It is our responsibility to steward those resources responsibly because they’re in our care, not just for our personal pleasure.”
David and Carol established a family foundation in 1989 and assigned to it all royalties from the sale of David’s introductory psychology textbooks and other general audience books, including a new book of essays to be published this fall. They support local, national, and international organizations. “Our resources don’t come from local sources,” said David. “And our responsibility is to God’s children worldwide.”
Locally, David and Carol both served on the Community Action House (CAH) board in the early years. They continue to support CAH, along with other local organizations and CFHZ. Carol served as a CFHZ trustee before and during the merger of the Holland and Zeeland Community Foundations. She re-designed the distribution committee process for evaluating requests and making grants while serving as its chair. “I thought it was important to steer things in a way that was more responsible and would increase impact as the Foundation grew through the incentives given by the Kellogg Foundation,” she said.
The Myers have been long-time supporters and advocates for the CFHZ’s endowment. “Out of my years serving on boards, I’ve learned the most valuable money for any organization is unrestricted,” said Carol. “And during my time on the CFHZ Board, I came to really appreciate that in order for CFHZ to have the flexibility to meet the most pressing needs and emerging opportunities, that it is crucial to support the Community Endowment.”
As the Myers plan for the future, they are supportive of their three children and one grandchild, but believe that all children matter. “At the end of the day, our family foundation will not survive us, and that’s intentional,” they said. “We will share our resources with organizations that embody who we are, what we value, and have a promising future.”
