Sioux Center, Iowa — A northwest Iowa institute of higher learning has been given a grant from a corporation with a plant here in northwest Iowa.
Dordt University officials tell us the school has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Pella Corporation in honor of Denny Van Zanten, a finalist for Pella’s Joan Kuyper Farver Spirit Award. A Dordt alumnus, Van Zanten is the plant manager of the Pella plant in Sioux Center and serves on the Dordt University President’s Leadership Advisory Council and Athletic Advisory Board. Van Zanten and his wife, Arla, chose to designate the gift toward the proposed athletic dome project, a joint effort between the City of Sioux Center and Dordt, to create an indoor turf facility.
Van Zanten says, “We really like the ‘Defender Way,’ which states that Dordt Athletics are committed to the Great Commission, to equipping students to be servant leaders, to the academic development of all student-athletes, and to the pursuit of championships.” He says that the dome will provide a much-needed facility to support these commitments, along with providing a facility for the community to utilize as well.
According to the Pella Rolscreen Foundation, “the Joan Farver Spirit Award was developed to annually recognize team members who share her caring spirit and enthusiasm for community service.”
Nicolle Picray, the public relations and brand communications manager at Pella Corporation says,
“Denny is an inspiration to all of us who know him. He’s made an immeasurable impact across our organization and has gone beyond that to impact the communities where he is now and has been located.”
