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A Lesson in Legacy

A Family’s Endowment Fund Honors Catholic Educators

When George and Anne Riddering are asked about the school, they pause. Then they smile. “Assumption…” Anne begins, “When you walk in, I don’t know. It’s so peaceful.”

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic School in Belmont, Michigan (“Assumption,” to those who know it) offers a quality, faith-based education to children from preschool through 8th grade. More than that, it provides a path to achieving a purposeful life — and a community with which to share that life.

Sitting together, reflecting on their family’s time at Assumption, George and Anne say they’re grateful for the benefits their five children received there:
an excellent education, a strong work ethic, and so much more. But they say the school’s impact on their family overall was even greater, yielding blessings
that continue to this day.

The Ridderings speak warmly about the people in the Assumption community, with whom they share values and an enthusiasm for living. The community has been so foundational to their family, George explains, that it was easy to decide where to give back to when it came time for the couple to design a giving strategy.

The two worked with the Catholic Foundation of West Michigan to create the George and Anne Riddering Fund for ABVM Teachers, an endowment providing resources and professional development funding to enhance teachers’ ability to lead and serve students. Their hope is that Assumption will continue to attract and retain highly qualified teachers into the future, the same kind of principled educators who made such a difference in their children’s lives.

“It’s not getting easier to attract and retain quality, high-level teachers,” insists George. “The future is uncertain in so many ways, but we need well-educated students who have a strong work ethic that can carry on the legacy. Our hope is that this helps attract and retain teachers to do just that.”

Learning How to Learn
Assumption, they say, absolutely prepared their children — not just to meet the challenges of high school, but also to excel as college students, professionals, and parents in their own right.

“They learned how to learn,” Anne exclaims, with George nodding in agreement. “I remember them being so excited about history and social studies, and I never liked those things. It was amazing how much they loved things I didn’t love, and they never knew I didn’t like them. I was overwhelmed with their homework at first, but by the time 5th grade came I didn’t have to do a thing.”

Anne laughs as she says this last bit, and George smiles. There’s a genuine joy when the couple describes the school, but as enthusiastic as they are about the community aspect, the school’s impact on their children’s success is still at the core of their happiness. As George explains: “Four of our five children ended up going to the local high school in Rockford. It was interesting to us, at parent-teacher conferences, the teachers said that within the first week of school they could identify the Assumption students; they were at another level. Our kids had a lot of homework at ABVM, and so the structure and commitment were set. Combined with the faith experience, they were well prepared.”

Prepared for high school, but also for college, the Ridderings explain, their children’s time at Assumption laid the foundation for a lifetime of success, and included life lessons that now are being taught to the Ridderings’ grandchildren. George and Anne both went to local public schools, and while they certainly were prepared for life (George recently retired after a long career as a successful CPA), they say that the Assumption experience for their children was more complete — and a big part involved faith.

Philanthropy as a Family
“Assumption very much complemented what we did at home,” Anne says, thoughtfully. “And it brought us closer to our faith, too,” George adds, nodding. From the looks on their faces, it’s clear that the school’s impact was profound, perhaps a step forward for the family overall. George and Anne say that when they were growing up, their families didn’t have a lot. Even so, both of their parents gave their time and money to those less fortunate. Those examples of charity and generosity hit home, and George and Anne passed them down to their children.

By donating appreciated stock to establish a donor advised fund, the family not only maximized their charitable impact but also engaged their children in meaningful discussions about philanthropy and the importance of giving back to the community.

In celebration of George’s retirement this past year, the family contributed to the endowment fund, making an even greater impact in his honor. “Each Christmas, in addition to gifts, we ask each child and spouse to come to the family celebration with an identified charity that they can donate to, hoping it helps instill the need to give back,” says George. “They put a lot of thought into it, and it’s been fun.”

Fun, too, is at the heart of the Assumption experience —and a key part of the legacy that George and Anne want to see continue. George has already been doing his part, most notably when he contributed to the new gymnasium at Assumption because the original was, to put it lightly, “modest.” George and others in the Assumption community came together and raised funds to create a Family Life Center at the school, “And then we had the best gym!,” he exclaims.

The community George and Anne formed with other Assumption parents endures today. “Most of our closest friends are parents of kids that our kids went to school with,” George says, as Anne nods and agrees. “It’s a very close-knit group. You have things like faith in common, similar beliefs, and that’s a great foundation for friendship.”

George even has an annual golf outing with friends he met at Assumption. They travel to courses far and wide, always keeping Mass in the schedule, and always having a great time, he says. Anne is in a book club with others from the Assumption community, and some of the families go on pilgrimages together: “We have one to Poland next June with Assumption families,” she points out.

Filled with Gratitude
In this season of life, with George’s golf game improving and Anne’s Bethlehem Sourdough baking business taking off, the Ridderings reflect on why they chose Assumption for their legacy, and why charitable giving matters. They look at each other — their love for each other, for the school, and for life obvious on their faces — and then explain what’s at the core of their decision:

“It’s gratitude,” Anne says. “Our gratitude toward Assumption, but also the gratitude we feel because we had that experience.” That spirit is what inspires Anne to give back to people and organizations who have directly impacted or bettered her life or the lives of her loved ones. And in this case, it inspired the Ridderings to create the ABVM fund.

George then states, “Faith should be the foundation upon which you build your family. Assumption was like a second home for us where we found a close community and friends with common beliefs. They have great kids, we think we have great kids. We need the next generation of great kids, and we think Assumption can definitely help to grow that.”

As for their legacy and the fund that they created to bring top-level teachers to Assumption, both George and Anne are determined in their commitment to future generations, and they hope that others are as well.

“Our fund isn’t going to do that alone,” George says, “but if it can help to support that mission of continuing the tradition of such a wonderful — not only faith-based, but also high-quality — education that Assumption School provides in preparing these kids for the future, then that’s what we want.”

The Catholic Foundation is honored to partner with the Ridderings to create a lasting legacy supporting Catholic education. If you would like to invest in the future of our faith, contact the Catholic Foundation to learn about your options.

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