Sam and Jean Martin give generously of their time, talent and treasure to ensure this community thrives. While they don’t delight in recognition, they were named 2020’s Distinguished Philanthropists of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals West Michigan. Nominations for this award were submitted by local nonprofits and individuals who felt Sam and Jean’s steady, meaningful contributions to the Holland/Zeeland area (and beyond) deserved to be formally acknowledged.
The Martins are longtime residents of Holland. Jean grew up in the area. Sam was born in St. Louis and lived in several places prior to making his way to Holland for his career. He was integral in leading and shaping the success of local company Holland Hitch, which later became SAF-Holland Inc. He and Jean met at a party in 1976 and married a year later. They have three children and four grandchildren.
Jean is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner. Most of her career was as a faculty member at GVSU, educating and mentoring future nurse practitioners. Her experience shaped her and Sam’s philanthropic interests. “My mother used to say, ‘Whatever happens, no one can take your education away from you,’” Jean said. “We started our philanthropic journey supporting a lot of educational and early childhood projects, and it evolved over the years to be more varied and community-wide.”
Sam’s great-grandparents were Presbyterian missionaries who helped found a village, church, and schools in Punjab, Pakistan. Those schools, and 23 others, continue to operate in small villages throughout the region. Sam is on the Board of the U.S. support organization, helping to fundraise and distribute scholarships. Jean’s family was similarly community-minded and instilled the values of sharing both talent and treasure to support local organizations.
“What we’ve realized is that our separate interest areas are actually quite connected,” said Sam. “Education is tied to early childhood success, which is tied to health, and so on.” Using this framework, Sam and Jean support initiatives across a broad range of impact areas, have been involved with a number of successful fundraising campaigns for local nonprofits, and often lend their expertise through Board positions.
Their relationship with CFHZ began with Sam’s involvement as a member of the Board of Trustees during the merger between Holland and Zeeland. That relationship has evolved through the years to include a scholarship fund, support of the Holland/Zeeland Promise program, and support of the Community’s Endowment.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our community, Sam and Jean looked for ways to help and contributed to both the Emergency Human Needs Fund and the COVID-19 Community Stabilization Fund.
“We’re really blessed to have the Community Foundation and it’s leadership,” they said. “CFHZ is a hugely successful organization both on its own, and in terms of its influence in the community. Our involvement is easy because we trust that our gifts will be put to good purpose. It’s not just about growing the endowment, it’s about creating meaningful impact and fulfilling the mission.”
