Siblings Marcia, Benny, and Lynn established The Benjamin and Phyllis Bowmaster Family Fund to honor their parents’ memory and support the town they loved. Their donor advised fund was created in 1999 and endowed with an initial investment of $200,000. In the years since, it has granted $120,000 and the balance in the fund has grown to $226,000.
“Our parents were very connected to the community,” said Marcia. “They emphasized the importance of time spent with family and friends and caring for others.” She recalls spending most Sundays after church visiting at the homes of aunt & uncles and their grandparents in Holland. Time with the cousins was a highlight of the week.
Benjamin and Phyllis met and married in Holland. They lived in Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor during Benjamin’s college and graduate studies but came back home to raise their family. Benjamin first worked as the Office Manager at Holland Furnace Company. Later, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to buy the Holland Pen Company, develop Heatherwood Subdivision, and create a Christmas tree business in Falmouth, MI.
“Dad used to call that Christmas tree farm our ‘college education fund,’” Benny said. “We all had to put in work up there over the years. It was important to our parents that we would value hard work and education as keys to success.” Eventually Benjamin became a partner in the Grandville based Organic and Spartan Chemical Companies where he worked until retirement.
Phyllis attended Hope College for a year and also worked at Spring Air Mattress Company. Later while homemaking, she volunteered with the Junior Welfare League, the Campfire Girls, and the League of Women Voters and worked part-time at People’s State Bank.
Phyllis attended Hope College for a year and also worked at Spring Air Mattress Company. Later while homemaking, she volunteered with the Junior Welfare League, the Campfire Girls, and the League of Women Voters and worked part-time at People’s State Bank.
Phyllis passed in 1997 and Benjamin passed in 1999. Prior to their father’s death the sibling set up a Donor Advised Fund to assist area nonprofits and reduce estate taxes. They were informed that 70% of the annual spendable profit would remain in the Holland/Zeeland area, and 30% (10% for each sibling) would be available for donations to their favorite nonprofits. The fund is structured so that 70% is distributed in the community and the remaining 30% is divided among the siblings for use with nonprofits in their own communities.
In past years, Marcia, Benny, and Lynn would review the list of nonprofits that had received competitive grants from CFHZ to help guide distributions from the fund. In 2020, they took a different approach after learning about the Emergency Human Needs Fund (EHNF), a short-term financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They explained, “When COVID hit it seemed critical to fund direct assistance to needy families. Our society has institutionalized inequities. It’s important to us to start to equal the playing field for families. CFHZ has the best expertise to do this and we trust them to make these decisions.”
“Even though at times our parents didn’t have a huge amount to share, they were generous when money was needed,” said Lynn. “This fund allows us to honor our parents’ legacy and support the community they loved.”
