Of Life, Love, Service and Gardens Lena Meijer, a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, the spouse and partner of the late retailing entrepreneur Fred Meijer, died January 15, 2022, at the age of 102. It is one of the highest honors of my life to have known Lena and to call her a friend. Lena loved being with people and always had time to engage in conversation. She loved to hear about what was going on in your life—how your family was doing; what your kids were doing—and offer a kind word. Talking with Lena was pure joy. Now, we must go forward, with the knowledge of Lena’s and Fred’s desire to have Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park be a legacy of their love of people, their community, beautiful gardens, and world-class sculpture. We all are blessed and privileged to be stewards of the many gifts Lena gave to improve the lives of and bring joy to others. This issue of Seasons tells a bit of Lena’s life story of accomplishment and service to family and community. I encourage you to read about Lena and visit the gardens she loved so much. Rest in peace, Lena.
In late November, we dedicated our new Welcome Center and Jaume Plensa’s masterpiece sculpture Utopia. The dedication was in the form of a toast to all people— celebrating the idea that beauty is part of the answer to our cares, and honoring the love we share for all of humanity to live in peace. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is fortunate to have some of the finest objects humanity has ever produced. World-class art, highly curated gardens and amazing facilities define our physical layout. The objects stimulate the senses and deserve to be celebrated. Their highest purpose, however, is to connect people to each other, promote Letter from the President
high ideals and enrich lives by bringing joy to people. Fred Meijer defined this goal when ground was broken August 24, 1993, for our first building. Fred stated his hope that Meijer Gardens would make the world “more whole.” Our mission is to promote the enjoyment, understanding, and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, the natural environment, and the arts. The action phrase in that statement is to promote enjoyment using our art and gardens and having a love of the natural environment. It is why Fred and Lena Meijer and the Meijer family have made this amazing place possible. It is why thousands of you have come forward to support our mission. It is why hundreds of dedicated people work here each day to bring joy to people, using all the resources entrusted to us to advance our mission. The title of our campaign to build all these new facilities contained the words “Welcoming the World.” It is our desire to welcome all people to Meijer Gardens. To help ensure all people can experience our mission and, hopefully, be inspired, we have established the Amway– Meijer, Inc. Fund for Education. Through the generosity of leads gifts from Amway and Meijer, Inc., a significant challenge grant from Candace and Bruce Matthews, and many individual gifts, we have secured $320,000 in funding. These gifts will forever generate financial resources to fund the transportation, admission costs, and programming for lowincome and underserved children to visit Meijer Gardens. This effort joins other programs we have to improve access to Meijer Gardens, such as Museums for All, Grand Rapids Public Library’s Check It Out! and Kent District Library’s PerkPass Program. In 2006, we dedicated the Volunteer Tribute Garden. The garden pays tribute to the enormous contributions made by our volunteers to bring joy to others and was a collective effort of many people. Edith (Edie) Fleming was a leader in making the garden possible. She gave generously of her time and talent in the horticulture department. When the idea of a Volunteer Tribute Garden was proposed, Edie stepped forward with a significant contribution. Her efforts and gifts are why you see a boulder with her and her husband’s name on it at the entrance to the garden.
Reflecting our growth, we have completely rebuilt the Volunteer Tribute Garden and updated the important sculpture The Tribute, by Oliviero Rainaldi. The Tribute honors all our volunteers, including Fred and Lena Meijer. We will rededicate the garden on April 20, 2022, which is also the 27th anniversary of the opening of Meijer Gardens. In 2008, we began installing Beneath the Leafy Crown, by Michele Oka Doner. This monumental sculpture has helped define the experience of walking through the BISSELL Corridor, surrounded by art depicting a Michigan forest floor. With the expansion of the BISSELL Corridor and the Sculpture Galleries, Beneath the Leafy Crown will be completely refurbished and restored. This important work will be completed during January and February. As members, you all have helped make Meijer Gardens possible. Your membership is important in sustaining Meijer Gardens and is sincerely appreciated. We hope you’ll visit often.
Gratefully,
David S. Hooker President & CEO, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Todd Harvey Ronald Hofman Mike Jeppesen Jeff Lambert Gloria Lara Tim Liang Elisa Lintemuth Jon March Kristina Martinez-Precious Janet Mason Candace Matthews Mary McLoughlin Laina Mills Mark Mossing Hannah Naltner Doriane Parker-Sims JoAnne Perkins Jim Preston Carlos Sanchez Joe Taber Michael Toth Debbye Turner Bell Susan Vogel-Vanderson Jill Walcott Maryln Walton Tina Wheeler Robert Wolford
Honorary Chairman Frederik Meijer (1919–2011) Honorary Member Earl Holton President & CEO David Hooker Ex Officio Member President of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Foundation Michael Julien Rhae-Ann Booker Chuck Christmas Duane Shields Davis Jocelyn Dettloff Scott DeVecht Suzanne Eberle Joy Fossel Meg Goebel Charyn Hain Shane Hansen
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