ABOUT ALTERNATIVES IN MOTION
Staff
Meet the staff of Alternatives in Motion, one of the finest staffs anywhere for one of the finest organizations anywhere.
Johnnie Tuitel
George Ranville
Liz Spieker
Matt Chapman
Johnnie Tuitel; Director of Development
To many, Johnnie Tuitel's (pronounced "Title") disability is a struggle. But to Johnnie, it's just the way things are. Much of his positive attitude can be attributed to his upbringing. In 1963, doctors told Johnnie's Dutch-immigrant parents that their son had cerebral palsy. "He'll be a burden," they said. "He won't be able to lead a normal life."
Ignoring the doctors, the Tuitels took their baby home to love him and to raise him. They encouraged him to focus on his abilities and to try anything and everything. Yes, there were cuts and bruises along the way, but they just increased his determination and toughened his resolve. Each struggle was a stepping-stone to a higher, yet undefined goal.
The goal became clearer in 1974 when Johnnie became the first student with a disability to be mainstreamed into the public school system. He not only completed public schooling, but went on to receive a bachelor's degree from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. (In 2003 Johnnie received the Hope Distinguished Alumni Award). And all this from a young man who wasn't supposed to be able to lead a "normal" life.
Speaker, author, entrepreneur, visionary, family man and world-traveler, Johnnie Tuitel is a man who thinks outside the wheelchair. And he helps others to focus on life's potentials rather than its limitations.
George Ranville; Executive Director
"Service, leadership and having a positive outlook on life have always been very important to me. It's easy to be negative. Solutions are the challenge."
And his solution-oriented nature is what makes him so valuable to both Alternatives in Motion and Tap Shoe Productions/Cedar Tree Publishing (he's the Vice President and General Manager)
George's previous marketing experience for an international business, coupled with his leadership skills from his Navy Officer days (Lieutenant Commander) make him ideal to tout the banners for both Tap Shoe and Alternatives. His goal is to grow Alternatives in Motion into an organization that will exist for people who need wheelchairs, well into the future. Where Johnnie is the promoter and on the stage, George is the planner, and the one who provides the structure for the board, staff, volunteers, and recipients. It’s George who writes the grants, the strategic plan, and most of the marketing material.
In early 1995, George met Johnnie Tuitel and offered to help market Johnnie's speaking talent to schools. It was at this time that Johnnie and George established Alternatives in Motion. Helping people get wheelchairs intrigued George—especially since George's brother-in-law Alan had an automobile accident in 1991 that resulted in Alan becoming a quadriplegic and, consequently, a wheelchair user.
Besides his work with Alternatives in Motion, George has served on boards for church, for school, for community recreation, and for youth athletic programs. He has coached basketball, baseball, soccer and softball.
Sharing George's life is his wife, Gail Noerenberg Ranville, RD, MBA, who is a nursing home administrator, and his two teenage children Danny and Katy - plus a couple cats. George is a graduate of Hope College (1978) and holds a degree in business administration.
Liz Spieker; Program Coordinator
When she isn't attending her kids' soccer games and track events or scouring the countryside for the best deals on antiques or camping or attending database classes part time, you can find Liz Spieker working part time at Alternatives in Motion. Liz is the one who is the primary contact with recipients, and she coordinates the inventory of wheelchairs that belong to Alternatives in Motion. She's pretty much the glue that holds together all the filing, bookkeeping and data entry/retrieval that keeps things running smoothly. In a word, she's awesome!
Liz and her husband, Steve, along with their four children live in Grand Rapids. Until recently, she's been a full-time stay-at-home mom. We're glad they let her out for a few hours to give us some much-needed and appreciated help.
TopMatt Chapman; Marketing and Special Events Coordinator
Matt earned a B.S. degree in advertising and public relations from Grand Valley State University in 2005, and already has a significant amount of experience in project management. While still a student, he organized sixteen volunteer trips in ten states for the GVSU Alternative Breaks Program. He also planned, organized, and led a weekend retreat for thirty-two student leaders with a focus on team-building and leadership development. He served as co-coordinator of the GVSU Leadership Summit (2004-2005), and received the Thomas M. Seykora Award for Outstanding Contribution (2005) conferred by GVSU. During his senior year in college, Matt served as a public relations intern with Alternatives in Motion, and is currently helping to coordinate marketing and special events for Alternatives in Motion and Tap Shoe Productions.
Matt brings a fresh perspective and a youthful intelligence to the organization. He also brings the solid organizational and leadership skills necessary to coordinate all aspects of the creative process and bring them together to meet everyone’s goals and objectives.