Volunteer Corner

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     Editor’s Note: Jean VanderLaan was a woman of faith. A woman of traditional values who had room in her heart for the values of others. A woman whose gentle, charitable nature sought to improve the lives of those around her.

      And, Jean was a true friend to the library, to children and to the community that she and her husband, Karl, were so deeply a part of. It is virtually impossible to do justice to their generosity and contributions in one article. But, Debbie Straub, who served with Jean for many years on the Friends’ board, agreed to give us a little insight into the amazing woman and her legacy.

By Debbie Straub

Past President of the Friends of the Library

      On May 6 of this year, longtime Friends member and volunteer Jean VanderLaan passed away at the age of 89 following a period of declining health. Jean’s name might not be familiar to all of you, but there is a good chance that many of you will recognize her face as a result of the wide array of activities she was involved in during the nearly 25 years she devoted to our organization.

      Like so many Friends, Jean began her association with us as a book sorter in the library basement, focusing primarily on evaluating the used children’s titles community members donated to us for sale in the library and at our big 4th of July sale. Fostering early childhood literacy was of vital importance to Jean, a retired elementary school teacher. As noted in her obituary, “Her teaching was always more than lessons and textbooks: it was about nurturing curiosity, inspiring confidence, and showing children the joy of discovery.”

      Those qualities extended far beyond the classroom, however. Jean demonstrated a passion for reading and sharing books of all kinds with others who were eager to learn as much as possible about the world and the lives of its diverse inhabitants.

      To that end, she joined the Friends’ board of directors in 2001 as co-chair of our homebound book service committee. We offered this special book-delivery program to members of the community who enjoyed reading but were unable to visit the library in person due to illness, disabilities, or other issues.

      Jean was soon attracted to two other board positions that were more in keeping with her skills and interests. In 2003, she became co-chair of the Friends’ popular book discussion group. Under Jean’s capable leadership (initially along with that of co-chair Jo Ott), attendance at meetings doubled early in her tenure, rising to an average of around 30 people at each monthly session. She remained active with the group for more than 15 years, either as co-chair or in an advisory capacity.

      Also in 2003, Jean volunteered as a co-chair of the Friends’ programs committee, at that time the heart of our community outreach efforts. One of its major new projects that year was launching a series of family-centered Early Literacy events that brought together a group of retired educators (led by the late Forest Hills Public Schools teacher and administrator Marion Robinson) to introduce very young children to the joy of books and learning through games, stories, craft-making, and other fun-filled activities. These events—underwritten by the Friends, for the most part--attracted hundreds of children and their parents to the Cascade Library, some for the very first time.

      But perhaps Jean’s most significant contribution to the programs committee began when she took the helm of our long-running Booked-for-Lunch lecture and luncheon series. A Friends’ mainstay for some four decades that regularly attracted 75-100 attendees throughout much of its existence, Booked-for-Lunch featured mostly Michigan-based authors talking about their books and sharing their personal insights into the writing process. Jean’s skill at choosing entertaining and creative guest speakers with appeal to a broad range of readers was matched only by her gracious and welcoming presence as the hostess at each gathering.

      Jean also played a part in the success of Booked-for-Lunch in another important (and anonymous) way. On several occasions when the Friends’ budget couldn’t quite cover the cost of bringing in an author she really, really wanted local audiences to hear, she quietly made up the difference out of her own pocket to ensure that the event could proceed as she had envisioned it.

 In 2006, Jean became co-president of the Friends with Rita Traynor, a kindred spirit who was also a retired educator with a passion for books and fostering childhood literacy. 

      But Jean was happier as a “do-er” rather than as a manager, so just a year later she assumed the role of past president and once again turned her full attention to overseeing her favorite activities—the book discussion group and the Booked-for-Lunch program. While the book discussion continued to thrive (and still does), changing demographics and the pandemic eventually spelled the end of Booked-for-Lunch after a truly remarkable run.

      For those of you who may not have encountered Jean at any of the many Friends’ events she helped conduct inside the Cascade Library, you may have had the pleasure of meeting her outside the confines of the building—in the parking lot, to be specific. In tandem with her husband, Karl, she spent every 4th of July morning for about a decade supervising the 8 a.m. shift of counters and cashiers at the Friends’ gigantic outdoor used book sale.

      Jean and Karl cheerfully greeted the hundreds of customers who passed through the check-out lanes during that sometimes chaotic (but in a fun way!) morning rush, helping keep things calm and running smoothly, always with a smile and some friendly words of appreciation for a purchase (and maybe even a little conversation). They were the perfect duo—Jean, somewhat reserved but with a very warm and soothing grandmotherly demeanor, and Karl, an unabashed “people person” who clearly enjoyed connecting with everyone who passed by his station.

      Together, Jean and Karl were generous not just with their time when it came to helping the Friends but with their financial support as well. They made a number of significant donations to our organization over the years, usually to help underwrite the cost of programs geared for children. In 2022, for instance, a gift of $2,500 from Jean to the Friends was applied to Kent District Library’s Booster Packs initiative that provided individual packets of books and games for preschoolers at four different branches.

      As avid proponents of education, Jean and Karl also made a point of regularly contributing (anonymously, at their request) to the Friends of the Cascade Library Memorial Scholarship. In 2015, after the fund that had originally been created to support the scholarship was depleted, Jean and Karl began pledging an annual amount and challenged the Friends’ board to match their contribution so that we could offer not just one, but two scholarships every year.      

      This generosity continued through 2024, ultimately totaling $10,500, and helped nine Forest Hills Public Schools students head off to college after graduation.  

      In the wake of Karl’s death in 2021, Jean retired from the Friends’ board but remained as active as possible behind the scenes until a series of health issues began to take their toll. We who volunteered alongside Jean and Karl—whether for just a few years or throughout the entire span of their association with the Friends—are forever grateful to them for their steadfast support as volunteers and contributors. They truly personified what it means to be a Friend.

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