Starting now

December 8, 2019

Tom and Char TenBrink

Tom and Char TenBrink love a good adventure. It started with a belated honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls. When Char mentioned on the trip that she had never been to Washington DC, they got back in the car and kept driving until they got there. They’ve since visited almost every state and love heading “down the road less traveled,” said Char. “You run into the most unexpected things. It’s so much fun.”

“We get to a stop sign and I say, ‘Right or left?’” said Tom.

Wherever they venture, Newaygo County still always lures them home. Both grew up here and spent most of their careers with Gerber. Their love of the area prompted them to begin thinking about other ways to give back. They started talking about creating a scholarship at the Community Foundation someday through their estate plan. However, after learning about the Community Foundation’s build-a-fund program, they decided to use it to start their scholarship now.

“We could set it up the way we want and see how it works,” said Char. “Having grown up in the area seeing the good things the Community Foundation has done, how it has grown, and the outreach it has—it seemed like a good place to give back and it keeps it local.”

They ultimately hope their scholarship will help a wide range of students train for good jobs and achieve their dreams.

“I’m excited to get it started,” said Tom. “I’m looking forward to being able to help somebody.”