GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It’s the season to give, and one local group made sure to include those who’ve served.
On Friday, one day before Christmas, Friends of Rolling Rock Ranch presented the Michigan Veteran’s Home in Grand Rapids with a check for $30,000. Funding was raised through donations from local businesses, groups, and individuals and the group’s annual pheasant hunt.
“Every year we come for a donation celebration of some sort,” said Don Pyles with Friends of Rolling Rock Ranch. “Last year, because of COVID, we weren’t able to come but we still sent a check for $20,000 last year, even in the pandemic year.”
This year, the group resumed their in-person donation celebration. It’s a mission that’s deeply personal for Pyles and the group’s two other founders.
“Even though none of the three members served in the military, all of our fathers did” he said. “So it’s been important for us to give back to the veterans.”
The donation will be split evenly amongst the home’s roughly 130 residents for them to do as they please with it. Throughout their six years of fundraising for this cause, Friends of Rolling Rock Ranch have donated over $160,000 to local veterans. For Pyles and the other members of the group, it’s a labor of love before the holidays, and a way to say ‘thank you.’
“It’s not about us, it’s about what the veterans have done for the community and for this country,” Pyles said, “and we’re just hoping to give something back.”
To learn more about the Friends of Rolling Rock Ranch, click here.
To learn more about the Michigan Veteran’s Home in Grand Rapids, and to find ways to help their residents, click here.
