Highlights of Hope Spring/Summer 23

PURPLE COMMUNITY
10 years of golf, family and research
God, family and golf — three of the guiding principles David
Wiersema followed during his life. He spent five decades bringing
a positive and fun attitude to various projects, spending as much
time with his family as possible. After a brain cancer diagnosis,
David passed away in 2010, but his family has kept his spirit alive
for more than a decade.
David’s wife, Julie, and daughter, Lydia, help organize the
David Wiersema Memorial Golf Outing, a VAI Purple Community
event that recently celebrated its 11th anniversary. “After Dad
passed away, we knew we had to do something in memory of this
amazing man,” they said.
Golf was the perfect opportunity: It was an activity that reflected
David’s life, it’s best with family and friends and it could be a
powerful fundraising tool.
at a senior level. Thanks to the generosity of family, friends and
attendees, that project became self-sufficient and continues to
offer scholarships. That’s when the Wiersema family decided to find
another way to impact the community.
“We realized we also wanted to support cancer research, but we
wanted to do it in a local way that made a difference,” Julie said.
“VAI was the perfect choice, existing in our backyard and giving us
the tools we need to support the cause.”
Besides the usual challenges of organizing a golf event, their family
is consistently surprised by the memorial’s popularity. It started as
an open event, they said, but increased interest from family, friends
and local businesses meant a lengthy registration list. Thanks to
support from family and volunteers, the event has adapted to meet
the demand.
As David was part of the family business owning golf courses,
including Winding Creek Golf Club, the event originally gathered
donations for the Holland/Zeeland Community Foundation,
building scholarships for high school graduates who played golf
Beyond the fun of hosting a successful event, Lydia said the family
remains focused on the mission of VAI and supporting research.
18 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE HIGHLIGHTS OF HOPE