4.20.21 – Service Above Self Award Celebration

The 2021 Service Above Self Award Celebration will take place virtually on Tuesday, April 20 from 9:00-10:00am.

Marge Wilson, the owner of Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming, is an entrepreneur, community advocate and mentor.  She is well-known for her sensitive and compassionate nature for those less fortunate.  Marge Wilson’s mission is to put others first and make people happy.  As her business grew, she expanded her shop to accommodate private gatherings, and space for local groups, organizations and clubs to meet. She has always been a hands-on giver to the community in addition to her philanthropic efforts.

Marge attended Davenport College and subsequently went on to work at in the Banking industry in California, Chicago and Grand Rapids for the next 20 years.  She established her company, Marge’s Donut Den in 1975 and was the first woman chosen to be on the national board of the Retail Bakers Association.  She served for many years as the Michigan Regional Director. Throughout the years she has collected an impressive number of awards, certificates and recognitions for her community service work and business expertise.  These tokens of recognition span an entire wall in the back of Marge’s Donut Den reflect her love for the Grand Rapids community.

Some of Marge’s notable achievements are the establishment of the Samuel Omogo Foundation, a project designed to foster the responsible development of clean water sources for villages in southeastern Nigeria by building and maintaining new water wells. She received the Inaugural Marge Wilson Community Service Leadership award from AMBUCS, and Distinguished Service Award from the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce for her service to others and the community.  Marge has always been immersed in multiple community efforts with cultural, arts, and charity organizations.

If you would like to support and honor Marge Wilson, please become a sponsor.

If you would like attend this virtual event honoring Marge on Tuesday, April 20th from 9:00-10:00am, you can purchase tickets by clicking on: Eventbrite 

A special thank you to our Event Sponsor

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Press Release – March 30, 2021

ROTARY CLUB OF GRAND RAPIDS PRESENTS ANNUAL COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award honors community spirit of Marge Wilson

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Marge Wilson has been chosen to receive the Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award, given by the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids. The award is presented in recognition of Frederik Meijer’s philanthropic acts of selfless service to our community, which left a lasting impact on the lives of others.

“We are pleased and excited to honor Marge Wilson as the 2021 Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award winner for her contributions to our community. Her generous and gracious spirit embodies the true meaning of this award,” said Hank Meijer, Fred Meijer’s son and Executive Chairman of Meijer, Inc.

Marge is an entrepreneur, community advocate and mentor. She is well-known for her sensitive and compassionate nature. She established Marge’s Donuts in 1975 and as her business grew, she expanded the shop to accommodate private gatherings and space for local organizations and clubs to meet. Marge was the first woman chosen to be on the national board of the Retail Bakers Association and served for many years as the Michigan Regional Director.

Throughout the years Marge has collected an impressive number of awards and recognitions for her community service and business expertise. These tokens of recognition span an entire wall in the back of the bakery along with a timeline for her involvement in the community she loves so dearly.

“I am honored to receive an award that bears the name of Fred Meijer. I firmly believe that you should do all you can for others when you can and while you can, not expecting anything in return. I receive many blessings for giving back and I am humbled by this recognition which is truly an honor to me,” said Marge.

Some of Marge’s notable achievements are the establishment of the Samuel Omogo Foundation, a project designed to foster the responsible development of clean water sources for villages in southeastern Nigeria. She received the Inaugural Marge Wilson Community Service Leadership Award from AMBUCS and Distinguished Service Award from the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce.

Previous Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award honorees include Jackie Taylor PhD, Shelley Irwin, Rick DeVos, John and Nancy Kennedy and the late Luis Tomatis, MD.

Dr. Jackie Taylor

Shelley Irwin

Rick DeVos

Dr. Luis Tomatis

John and Nancy Kennedy

“The opportunity to humbly present this annual award to Marge is tri-fold in nature: it recognizes a local philanthropist leader that mirrors the impact Frederick Meijer had and continues to make on this community, while demonstrating the values and mission of Rotary,” said Jon Hankins, president of the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids.

The Rotary Club of Grand Rapids will honor Marge at the Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award Celebration on Tuesday, April 20 from 9-10 a.m. The virtual celebration will be hosted live from Marge’s Donut Den. Proceeds of the event will benefit the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Charities Foundation. The Foundation exists to support the needs of individuals, non-profit projects and/or programs aligned with its primary focus areas of health, education and youth programs. The community is invited to attend. Tickets are on sale at grrotary.org or by calling 616.429.5640.

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