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5.9.23 – Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award Dinner
May 9, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Kate Pew Wolters 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.
“Kate Pew Wolters deserves this award because she devotes her entire being to giving back to our community,” said Neil Marchand, attorney at Miller Johnson and one of her nominators. “Her pace is “nonstop,” and her impact has been profound.”
Kate Pew Wolters is living proof that an individual’s life circumstances do not define what that individual can do. Throughout her life, Kate Pew Wolters has broken down barriers—both literal and metaphorical—to make our community a more inclusive place. Not afraid to tell the truth and advocate for her beliefs, her life’s work dispels the notion of inability and teaches us all that every person has value and can contribute to improving all of our lives.
Wolters has transformed our community with a primary focus on educational, disability, and arts institutions. Presently she chairs the Steelcase Foundation, co-chairs the First Steps Kent Commission (a community partnership focused on building a coordinated system of early childhood services in Kent County), co-chairs the Johnson Center for Philanthropy Leadership Council, and serves as a trustee for Grand Valley State University.
“We’re so fortunate to live in a community with many potentially worthy recipients,” said Wolters. “I’m honored to have been chosen.”
Previous Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award winners include Dave & Karen Custer; Marge Wilson; Jacqueline Taylor, PhD; Shelley Irwin; Rick DeVos; Luis Tomatis, MD and John & Nancy Kennedy.
“In Rotary, we work to make our community and the world an inclusive place,” said Doris Drain, President of the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids. “In honoring the great work of Kate Pew-Wolters, we are validating these efforts. In the spirit of Fred Meijer, Kate’s many acts of selfless service have made the Grand Rapids community a better place.”
The Rotary Club of Grand Rapids will honor Kate Pew Wolters at the Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award Celebration on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at 6:00 pm at The Cultural Center at St. Nicholas, 2250 E Paris Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI. Proceeds of the event will benefit the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Charities Foundation. The Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Charities Foundation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary, and educational purposes.
The Foundation makes gifts, grants, and scholarships to organizations, trusts, funds, or foundations that are organized and operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes. A special focus is concentrated on youth activities, improvement to the environment, and other charitable endeavors promoted by the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids.
The community is invited to attend. Tickets are on sale here SAS Award Dinner Tickets, grrotary.org, or by calling 616.459.5640
If you are interested in sponsoring the event, the fillable sponsorship form is available here: 2022-2023_SAS-Award_SponsorshipForm
2022-2023 Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award Recipient Kate Pew Wolters
