“I have seen a lot of changes in the community since I’ve lived here, but the community is still here becoming a better place to live each and every day.”
Joan T. Lalley understands and embraces the true spirit of being a member of the Community Foundation’s Bridge Builder Society. It is about the future. It is about making a long-term commitment to the well-being of the Holland/Zeeland area; even beyond the horizon of our lifetimes. Beyond the needs of today; Bridge Builders are preparing for the needs of tomorrow.
Joan remembers moving to Holland with her late husband Robert Hall and their two kids Craig and Julie in a time when Sundays meant no movies, no restaurants and no Sunday paper. The family quickly settled into the community and has been contributing to its growth and vitality ever since.
Robert was involved in the beginnings of West Ottawa Schools, served on the Park Township Board, and invested time and treasure in many other community activities in addition to his business endeavors.
One of the ways Joan and Robert gave back financially was by supporting the Community Foundation. They have made a gift every year since 1990, and in 2001, Joan established the Robert G. and Joan T. Hall-Lalley Fund for Affordable Housing. She established this fund to support the local efforts of organizations providing temporary housing for families in crisis and to invest in foreclosure prevention to help keep families out of crisis.
Joan set up this fund as a Field of Interest fund so that the Community Foundation selects the grant recipients each year. “The Foundation does so well with knowing the needs of the community. Setting up this fund has made it easy to give back and know the money is being used wisely.”
Joan loves to give back and while she continues to make an annual gift to her fund, she also has included the fund as a beneficiary in her trust.
She knows that the community will continue to change, and this is her way of investing in the future vitality of the place she loves.
In addition to their own personal legacies, Joan and Robert’s values live on through their children and grandchildren.
“Housing can be a really tough issue for people and it is sad that we still have this issue here in Holland.”
– Joan Lalley
Amongst many lessons that Craig remembers learning from his parents, two stand out as key values for his life:
“I learned from Mom and Dad’s example that you are only going to get back what you give in, and giving isn’t just about financial resources, it is about time, commitment and true involvement in creating the change you wish to see.”
Craig and his wife Karen have continued to pass on those values to their own kids Stacey and Erik. When Stacey and Erik were in middle school at West Ottawa they asked the school if there was a family that was in a difficult financial situation and could use some extra assistance. The Hall family didn’t just serve in an “anonymous Santa” arrangement where the Hall kids bought gifts for the kids from the family they were helping, they stepped up to help in a variety of aspects of life including helping ensure reliable transportation.
In 1996 after the sale of a company they owned, Craig and Karen made their first six-figure gift to the Community Foundation and established the Hall Family Fund with $100,000. Over the last 18 years, they have made $84,000 in grants from their fund to local nonprofit organizations working in the areas of health, education and youth. Exemplifying the power of endowment, this fund still has a balance of $110,000 and will continue to provide resources to the community for years to come.
Craig and Karen carry on the family legacy of generosity. One of their strong values is giving back during their lifetimes, but they have also included their fund at the Foundation in their estate plans.
Multiple generations of the Hall family have established deep roots in this community and have partnered with the Community Foundation to ensure that their commitment to a vibrant Holland/Zeeland lasts forever.
More than 150 individuals and couples have joined Joan, Craig, and Karen to make a commitment to support the future of the Holland/Zeeland area through an estate gift to the Community Foundation. These generous individuals are recognized through the Foundation’s Bridge Builder Society.
