4.21.20 – The Service Above Self Award Dinner to be rescheduled

We are sorry to announce that due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus and in compliance with our state and federal directives, we will be rescheduling our 2020 Service Above Self Award Dinner.  Please watch our website and emails for further information.

The Service Above Self Award Dinner has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 20, 2021, where we will be honoring Marge Wilson.

The 2020 Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Service Above Self Award Dinner will be Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at the Culture Center at St. Nicholas, where the Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award will be presented.

Each year the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids honors someone from our community who has made a difference by exemplifying the philanthropic legacy of Fredrik Meijer and the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self”.

We are pleased to announce that Marge Wilson is this year’s Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award winner.

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.

Previous Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award winners were Dr. Jacqueline Taylor, Shelley Irwin, Rick DeVos, Luis Tomatis, MD, along with John and Nancy Kennedy. Their efforts to better our community are remarkable and will have a lasting impact. By honoring people such as these in a public way, we hope to inspire others to consider how they can extend themselves in the service of others and the community at large.

If you would like to support and recognize the efforts of Dr. Jackie Taylor and the previous honorees, please become a sponsor. Simply click on the following:  2020 Service Above Self Award Dinner Sponsorship Form

If you would like to attend the 2019 Service Above Self Dinner honoring Marge Wilson as the 2020 Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award winner, you can purchase by clicking here:  Tickets

A special Thank You to our generous Event Sponsor!