Philanthropy Spotlight: John and Sue Lawson

John and Sue Lawson have been part of the Hand in Hand family since the beginning, giving us our first gift to continue Camp Hand in Hand and help us grow to what we are today.

“Our first contact came around the time of the John Deere Classic when Dave Steil was the tournament chair.  We’d seen some publicity in the paper discussing the summer camp, and the kind of youngsters being served.  It caught our attention enough to seek a bit more before we made our initial contribution. We talked to Mark Smith and decided this was an organization we would like to support.  Our interest was impacted by our oldest grandchild who has significant special needs.  She had access to similar organizations where she lived in Connecticut and California and found them quite beneficial,” said the Lawsons.

Since making their first initial gift, they’ve been giving to Hand in Hand annually ever since.

“Our family has made frequent visits to Hand in Hand, and always come away being thankful for the work you do in the QCA. We feel fortunate to have the ability to give back to organizations that impact folks that have significant needs.”

Not only have the Lawson’s made an impact for the participants at Hand in Hand but they also support the United Way, Junior Achievement, their church affiliations, and many other worthwhile organizations.  They even have a scholarship program at Iowa State University for students that in many cases are the first in their family to attend college.

“Having been fortunate to have spent our working career at John Deere, the philanthropic examples set by many of the leaders was an inspiration for us to follow.  We retired in 2002, but thanks to these examples and the assets we were able to accumulate, we continue to give back to many groups,” said the Lawsons.

The couple now live full-time in Florida, soaking up the sun. They remain very connected to Hand in Hand and continue their philanthropic giving wherever they go.