Before joining the board of the Benzie County Community Chest I thought I had some idea of the hardships faced by less fortunate families in Benzie County. Then I got involved in the work of the Community Chest and realized the overwhelming number of individuals that fall between gaps in services and the alarming number whose needs go unmet.

I am very proud to be a part of the work of the Benzie Community Chest. Our responsibility to address poverty and to support programs that improve quality of life contributes to a healthier environment for all of Benzie County.”

• John Rutherford, former board chairman

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Benzie County Community Chest Board of Directors

2010 Board of Directors

Nancy Coalter, President, has been involved with the Benzie County Community Chest since 2007. "I enjoy working with my fellow Community Chest board members because they are dedicated people who have a desire to spend their time and talents to help others," Nancy said. "People should know that our administrative fees are virtually non-existent and also how very generous the people of Benzie County are in making contributions to Community Chest so we can help our human service agencies help the people of the county. Life-changing situations may occur at any time in a person's lifetime and it's a good feeling to know just how many lives we have touched." A graduate of the Robert Perry School of Banking, Nancy has over 30 years of banking experience and she is the vice president and a branch officer of Honor Bank. Nancy is very active and interested in community service. She is former treasurer and a member of the Bear Lake Promoters and she has been an ambassador of the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer at the Manistee County Fair. She has three children and three grandchildren.
Steve Kelly, Vice President, grew up in the Flint area and graduated from Mott College with an associate's degree in business. During this time he also owned and operated a painting and sandblasting business, graduated from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago with a degree in professional cooking and earned his real estate license. Steve and his wife Pam lived in Virginia for a time where they owned a Subway sandwich shop franchise. In 1999 they sold the original franchise and the second that they had built and moved to Frankfort with their son Jarred in order to be closer to their families. In Frankfort Steve earned his builders license and in 2000 he and Pam built Frankfort Pines Assisted Living Apartments. Steve said he enjoys serving Benzie County Community Chest "because it is rewarding to know that we are providing a needed service that improves the quality of life for so many people in Benzie County." Steve is a member of the Frankfort Rotary Club, the Benzie County Chamber of Commerce and he volunteers for various other civic events and causes. He enjoys snowmobiling, golfing, boating and all of the outdoor activities that Michigan has to offer. He and Pam also have two dogs, Rudy and Elvis.
Sheila Johnson, Secretary, has been involved in the work of the Benzie County Community Chest since 2001. Her career in banking began in 1973 and she is currently assistance vice president at the Central State Bank. Sheila's involvement in community service includes volunteering for several non-profit agencies, among them the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce where she served as an ambassador for nearly 10 years and also for other programs that provided support for residents in the Manistee community where she was born. Sheila also assisted in United Way campaigns by helping collect donations. Her compassion for others continues to shine as she gathers with others over the holiday seasons to serve warm dinners to the homeless, the hungry and isolated. In her leisure Sheila enjoys reading, gardening, continued education, and fitness activities.
Jim Krebs, Treasurer, is a Crystal Lake resident, moving here several years ago after living in Lansing and also Arizona.
Bill Dundon grew up in Kalamazoo and Paw Paw. He served three years in the Army and graduated from Western Michigan University in 1972. He lived in Benzie County from 1972 to 1983 where he became a Certified Public Accountant and worked at Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital. During that time, he was a member of the Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club, First Congregational Church, Benzonia, MI., and the Benzie Area Historical Society. He served as an officer or director for each of these organizations and served several years as the Benzie County representative on the Board of Directors for the Northwest Michigan Human Services Agency in Traverse City.   In 1983 he moved to Kalamazoo and worked in financial management for several not-for-profit or governmental organizations. He retired in February 2009 as Director of Finance and Administrative Services for Kalamazoo County after 21 years of service. Cheri, his wife, retired April 30, 2009 and they sold their home in Kalamazoo and established permanent residence in Benzie County. Upon his return to Benzie County, Bill renewed his membership in the Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club. Bill and Cheri volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Benzie County and BACN. In their spare time, they like to work on their house, especially landscaping, and travel.
Thor Goff enjoys serving on the Community Chest board of directors because he the organization helps many people with many problems. "The public needs to know that Community Chest distributes the money that is donated to a broad spectrum of dedicated agencies and that one donation helps many people in Benzie County," he says. Thor lived most of his life in Midland and was a weekend and summer resident of Benzie County for 25 years before he became a permanent resident ten years ago. Thor attended Central Michigan University where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. After serving eight years at Chevrolet as an engineer and equipment buyer, he founded Whitney Sales, a sales and engineering company, and co-founded Euclid Industries, a manufacturing company with three locations in Michigan. In addition to serving on the Community Chest board, he also volunteers for Beulah's Darcy Library, the Bay County DDA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. He also enjoys fishing, gardening and working on cars.
Gaylord Jowett moved to Benzie County several years ago from the Flint area where his family owns and operates a funeral home and cremation center. They currently operate Jowett Family Funeral Homes & Cremation Services in Frankfort and Benzonia. Gaylord has become involved with a number of community organizations including the Benzie Sunrise Rotary and the Benzie County Chamber of Commerce and Frankfort-Elberta Chamber of Commerce.
Charles Kinzel and his wife Lucie moved to Beulah in 1999 and both are active in the community.  Lucie volunteers at BACN, Benzie Historical Society, Darcy Library, Beulah Boosters, Interlochen Center for the Arts and St. Ann 's Church. Charlie is a retired pharmacist and a member of the Village of Beulah Council  and Planning Commission and he volunteers at St. Ann 's church, Habitat for Humanity, Beulah Boosters, Grand Vision and Interlochen Center for the Arts.	No Picture Available at this Time
Jean Luedtke is someone who always has a warm and friendly smile. Born in Flint, Jean became a permanent part of the Benzie community in 1994. She graduated from Cheboygan Area High School and attended Northwestern Michigan College, where she pursued an education in accounting. She has been a board member of Benzie County Community Chest since 1999. "I am proud of the achievements of Benzie County Community Chest," Jean said. "We have continued to raise funds in a downturned economy because our donors realize their contributions are making an impact on Benzie County." Jean stays involved in numerous community activities. Some of her former roles include treasurer of the Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, a member of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers, former treasurer of the "Support Our Students" campaign, participation in the Christmas "adopt a family" program, member of the Frankfort-Elberta Schools band boosters, youth group leader at Trinity Lutheran Church, treasurer of the Benzie County Ski Boosters for the Benzie Central Fankfort-Elberta co-op ski team, and a volunteer for various Benzie and Frankfort chamber of commerce events. In her leisure time, Jean enjoys bicycling, hiking, sailing and cross country skiing. Her claim to fame is a bike trip of 100 miles that toured Belle Isle in 1981. She also rode a 75-mile tour of Leelanau County in 1982.
Dave Yarnell, Executive Director, holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Toledo in journalism, public relations, and higher education administration. He moved to Northern Michigan nearly 30 years ago to serve as public relations director for West Shore Community College and after serving WSCC for 17 years he was director of the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce for five years. He and his wife Mary live in Manistee where she retired recently as West Shore Medical Center's human resources director. Besides serving as part-time executive director of community chest, Dave is a reporter and photographer for the Manistee News Advocate.