Fifth Third Community President to Lead United Way Campaign

Larry Koops, Fifth Third Bank Community President for the Lakeshore Region, will chair Greater Ottawa County United Way’s Community Campaign, set to kick off in September.

A leadership volunteer with United Way, Koops has also served in leadership roles with the Holland Chamber of Commerce, Holland Christian School Board, Kandu, Inc.’s Capital Campaign, and Good Samaritan Ministries; and he is a former Board Member of United Way in Kalamazoo. His long history of community service combined with his role as a leader in the local business community is precisely what United Way was hoping for in a campaign chair, said United Way President Patrick Moran.

“It’s no secret that we’re facing tough times,” Moran said. “While the needs of our community partner agencies have increased greatly, many of the businesses that have been United Way’s longstanding base of support are struggling. United Way is fortunate to have a leader of Larry Koops’ caliber to help us take on the challenge of raising much-needed funds in a down economy, and that bodes well for the community.”

Koops said he stepped up to serve because of a strong belief in United Way’s impact on people’s lives. “Dollars raised in last year’s campaign are already invested in 63 effective nonprofit health and human service programs all across the county, and more than 78,000 Ottawa County residents have an opportunity for a better life because of those programs,” he said.

“Fifth Third Bank also has a long history of support for the work done by United Way, and we are proud partners in the effort to create the building blocks of a better life in our communities,” added Koops

Moran elaborated on Fifth Third’s community involvement through United Way: “Fifth Third Bank and its employees are among the most generous donors to the campaign, but they don’t stop there. They participate in Day of Caring, Ottawa County’s largest single volunteer action day, and serve in many United Way board, committee, and cabinet positions. Fifth Third also demonstrates its corporate citizenship as a campaign sponsor, which allows more of the dollars raised through the campaign to be invested back into the community,” said Moran.

Koops and his wife Jeanie are Holland residents and the parents of four children. He graduated from Hope College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976, and from Western Michigan University with a Master’s of Business Administration degree in 1982. He joined Old Kent Bank in 1983 as a credit analyst, and rose through the management ranks at Old Kent and Fifth Third throughout West Michigan, becoming Community President for the Lakeshore Region in 1998.

For more information, telephone 396-7811 in Holland, 842-7130 in Grand Haven.