Erin and Steve Zylman

As finance professionals, Erin and Steve Zylman understand the importance of planning for the future. To ensure our community will always be equipped to respond to the needs and opportunities that may arise, they donate to our Community’s Endowment.

“We give to the Community Foundation not just because it’s easy, but because we know CFHZ is proactively looking at what our community’s next opportunities are going to be — not just what our current needs are,” Erin said. “We love that.”

As the son of the longtime CEO of Hospice of Holland, Steve is no stranger to the world of philanthropy. His family also was heavily involved with their church, where they consistently practiced the tradition of tithing. Likewise, Erin was taught the importance of giving back by her family. She carried those values from her hometown in Jackson, Michigan to her new home in Holland, where she met Steve shortly after moving here.

Now married for over 10 years, Erin works as a financial advisor for Edward Jones, helping her clients invest and plan for the future. Prior to opening her own Edward Jones office, Erin worked as the Institutional Sales Officer for Fifth Third Bank calling on community foundations across the state to discuss asset management. This gave her the unique opportunity to get an inside perspective on how community foundations operate.

“As a newcomer to Holland, I really appreciate that I can see how the Foundation has evolved with our community over the past 10 years,” Erin said. “The Community Foundation pays attention to the issues that are important to us.”

Steve is a controller at Motus Integrated, where he is responsible for the financial results of his business. Working in the finance industry, Steve and Erin are thoughtful, forward-thinking givers who take the time to truly understand the organizations they support.

Our community is sure to change, and we need to be ready. The flexibility of unrestricted gifts to our Community’s Endowment allows the Foundation to use the expertise of our staff and widely representative board to make the best possible community investments.

Originally featured in the Community Foundation’s 2018 Annual Report. While this was written by CFHZ’s Communications Associate Lina Pierson in 2019, we believe that stories of generosity are timeless and always relevant.

To learn more about our Community’s Endowment, visit www.cfhz.org/communitysendowment