Gentex veterans group expands support for Michigan Veteran Homes residents

What started as a cookie fundraiser has grown into a long-term partnership between employees at Gentex and Michigan Veteran Homes in Grand Rapids. The partnership helps improve daily life for older veterans through fundraising, volunteer work, and new technology.

Employees involved in Gentex’s V.E.T.S. Business Resource Group have raised money through bake sales, candy sales, sponsorships, and 50/50 raffles at Grand Rapids Gold games. The effort recently helped fund interactive technology for memory care residents living with dementia at Michigan Veteran Homes.

The partnership developed as Michigan Veteran Homes shifted away from an institutional-style facility into a campus designed to feel more like a neighborhood community for senior veterans.

Mike Tate, manager of supply chain planning for Gentex Corp. and an Army veteran, says the employee group wanted to support an organization serving veterans close to home.

“We wanted to make sure that we were partnering and investing in a group that was local, that was impacting veterans in West Michigan,” Tate says.

Veterans helping veterans

The relationship began in 2019 after Tate, material planning manager for Gentex and a military veteran, contacted Michigan Veteran Homes to ask how employees could support residents at the Grand Rapids campus.

“As a veteran himself, he felt inspired to give back locally,” says Tiffany Carr, community engagement coordinator for Michigan Veteran Homes.

That conversation led to a cookie fundraiser during one of Gentex’s employee meetings. Workers donated money, bought cookies, and learned more about the needs of veterans living at the home.

“It started small,” says Ryan Engle, director of development and strategic engagement for Michigan Veteran Homes. “They’d bring over a check for several hundred dollars, and they’d apologize that it wasn’t more. But we were just grateful for the generosity.”

The fundraiser raised several thousand dollars for the organization’s quality-of-life fund, which helps pay for activities and programs for veterans living at the home.

Additional fundraising efforts followed over the next several years. Gentex employees organized candy sales, sponsored Michigan Veteran Homes’ annual Veterans Day 5K race, and volunteered at community events connected to the veterans home.

The work became personal for many employees involved in the V.E.T.S. group.

Tate grew up in a military family. His father served in the Army for 25 years and retired as a chief warrant officer. His grandfather served during World War II as a navigator on a B-17 bomber.

“A lot of the most important men in my life that I looked up to served,” Tate says. “It was something that was always on my mind.”

Tate joined the Army National Guard before graduating from high school. He later attended Western Michigan University before deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

During his deployment, Tate worked in logistics support, helping order aircraft parts needed to repair Cobra helicopters used by military crews in Iraq.

After returning home, he joined Gentex in 2007 and later became involved in the company’s veterans employee group.

“We understand the sacrifices that veterans make,” Tate says. “It’s important that we give back.”

Growing impact

Andrew Prins, a Gentex production process technician and Marine Corps veteran, also joined the V.E.T.S. group.

Prins enlisted in the Marines at age 17 and expected military service to become a long-term career before hip surgery ended his service earlier than planned.

“My whole life plan kind of pivoted,” Prins says.

He later joined the board of Gentex’s V.E.T.S. group and became its lead in 2024.

“It’s fun to watch this whole thing grow,” Prins says. “Our impact is growing with it.”

Tate says the group expanded participation across multiple departments at Gentex.

“We’ve really been intentional about trying to grow our board to have a wide impact,” Tate says. “We have members from all different parts of the organization.”

One of the group’s largest fundraising efforts came through a Gentex supplier golf outing that raised more than $38,000 for Michigan Veteran Homes. Gentex later added another $20,000 contribution, bringing the total close to $60,000.

The funding helped purchase Tovertafel technology for memory care units at the Grand Rapids Veterans Home. The interactive system projects games and activities onto tables to help engage residents living with dementia and cognitive decline. It allows caregivers, volunteers, and staff members to guide residents through motion-based activities that encourage movement, memory, and social interaction.

“It’s an amazing addition and an amazing tool for keeping older adults stimulated and engaged,” Engle says.

Carr, who previously worked as a recreational therapist, says the technology gives residents opportunities for engagement throughout the day, including times outside of scheduled activities.

“What makes that system unique is that activity teams are the heartbeat of nursing homes. However, we’re not there 24/7,” Carr says. “It’s really enhanced quality of life in a big way.”

Campus feels like home

Michigan Veteran Homes has changed significantly during the partnership.

The organization replaced its older institutional-style building in Grand Rapids with a newly designed campus focused on smaller residential homes, shared community gathering spaces, and a more residential environment for veterans.

The redesigned campus reflects a growing effort in senior care to reduce the institutional feel often associated with long-term care facilities and replace it with environments centered on community interaction and resident comfort.

Carr says one of the earlier projects supported by Gentex employees involved fundraising for a flagpole outside the new facility.

“The home was really passionate about making sure there was a flagpole visible right in the front entrance of the new home,” Carr says.

Tate says employees also learned how heavily quality-of-life programs depend on community support and private donations.

“The operational expenses of the home are federally funded,” Tate says. “But the quality-of-life initiatives are 100% funded through private donations.”

Those donations help pay for woodworking classes, painting activities, group outings and other programs that help veterans stay active and connected with others.

Prins says the partnership shows how employee groups inside companies can build long-term community support.

At first, he was hesitant to join the board because he thought he was too busy balancing work, school, and family life. But he has found the decision to step up has been rewarding. Over the years, he helps lead the group’s outreach work and sees opportunities for continued growth. He also leads its advisory board. 

“I’m a firm believer that we’re going to continue to grow and continue to make a lasting impact,” Prins says.

Engle says the partnership has continued to expand because of the commitment shown by employees who wanted to support fellow veterans.

“Something that really started as a single veteran, and then a group of veterans wanting to do something cool for veterans, has really just continued to blossom into an awesome partnership,” Engle says.

Photos courtesy of Gentex