Project funds provide donors with an opportunity to support innovative projects, initiatives, activities, programs or services that enhance the student experience within a chosen department at Kellogg Community College.
KCC alumna Lois Brown started the Donald Vinkemulder Fund to support KCC library initiatives that provide students with hands-on study aids to reinforce lab and classroom learning. The fund will primarily benefit students studying health and the arts.
This fund was named for the head librarian who worked at KCC from 1967 to 1987. Brown worked with Vinkemulder as a library aid while a student at KCC.
KCC: What inspired you to create a project fund with the KCC Foundation?
Lois Brown: When I found out the difference between project funds and scholarships, I realized that project funds were another way to help students to reach their goals while attending KCC.
Why did you choose to support this particular department?
While attending KCC as a student in the 1970s, I worked in the Emory W. Morris Library. I worked in the library after classes and full time during the summer break. It is for that reason I chose the library as a project fund.
Why did you name the fund after Donald Vinkemulder?
The librarian at that time was Mr. Donald Vinkemulder. Working in the library under his direction made a lasting impression on me. Working in the library was my first real job with responsibilities and Mr. Vinkemulder’s humble leadership helped me form a work ethic that I would use the rest of my life. I chose to name the fund after Mr. Donald Vinkemulder to honor him.
What does it mean to you to know that your gift can continue supporting students year after year?
It is good to know this library fund is available and will continue to help the library and students for years to come.
A quote from KCC Director of Library Services Jenn Washburn:
“We are grateful for the support of the KCC Foundation and the Vinkemulder grant which enabled the purchase of these models and equipment including anatomical models, magnetic molecular models, calculators, sensory lamps and a Wacom drawing tablet. Libraries are a wonderful place for students to be able to try new things and to practice the skills they learn in class. With these study aids, the library will be able to provide new learning experiences in the spaces that students are already using for their projects and study time.”
A quote from KCC Student Dylan Moore:
“As a returning student to KCC this semester, having the opportunity to explore the new resources provided to KCC was genuinely meaningful to me. … Together, these resources make the library feel even more supportive, accessible and prepared for different ways students learn. I am grateful to everyone who helped make them available, because they will have a lasting impact on students like me.”
This article first appeared in the September 2026 edition of BruIN magazine. To read the issue online, please visit kellogg.edu/bruinmagazine.
