PLANNED GIVING EVENTS
Tell us about your family.
K + L: We are a Laker Family! Kevin and I met at GVSU in 1978 and started dating about a month later …and married June 19, 1982. We have three children, Elizabeth, Paul, and Peter, all who graduated from Grand Valley as well!
What do you like to do for fun?
K+L: We love to entertain. We always have the extended family holiday celebrations at our home. We’ve had several Kirkhof College of Nursing parties/events at our house as well.
Favorite place to vacation? K+L: Anywhere warm, sunny, and by the water.
What are you currently doing?
K: I am the Chief Operating Officer at Nichols, a paper, packaging, and sanitary supply company headquartered in Norton Shores.
L: After 16 plus years as a critical care nurse at Mercy Health, St. Mary’s in Grand Rapids, I left to begin my teaching career in the Kirkhof College of Nursing (KCON) at Grand Valley State University in 1997. After finishing my PhD at MSU in 2011, I am currently an Assistant Professor in KCON.
Favorite memory when thinking of GVSU?
K: Watching GVSU grow over time to be the outstanding university it is today.
L: Laughing with my friends, meeting Kevin, and having Bonnie Wesorick and Nicki Grinstead as my nursing professors (among others). Bonnie was my clinical instructor on the oncology unit at Blodgett. I was so impressed with her strong science base, her ability to speak pathophysiology fluently, and her patient advocacy skills, ensuring patients were the center of care. Her influence of having a strong physiology background helped me understand how important it is for nurses to be strong critical thinkers and patient advocates.
“We give back financially as we can. We have done that through the Irwin Club, through a nursing scholarship that was set up in Lori’s sister’s name, and then we also wanted to do something long term by giving back through our estate planning.”
Why is it important to you to be a member of the Gillett Society?
L: Kevin’s parents, Don and Wilma Rahrig and my parents, Charles Houghton and the late Jeanette (Root) Houghton believed that it was important to obtain a college degree. We wanted this for our children and would like to help others achieve their dreams starting with a strong GVSU educational foundation to begin their careers as we did.
What impact do you hope your gifts will have on students?
K+L: Grand Valley provides an outstanding education and is a great value. A college degree is very important, but can be expensive. We hope that these gifts can lighten the financial burden for students.
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