Inspire, Spring 2007

10 Spring 2007 An outdoor sculpture focusing on the Fall was recently donated to Cedarville. Titled “Opened Eyes,” the sculpture consists of a bronze figure lying in sorrow with head in hands alongside two bitten apples. The sculpture represents the biblical account of Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened to the results of disobedience. The work was generously donated by sculptor and Cedarville trustee Dr. James DeVries of Grand Rapids, Michigan. “We are grateful Jim has chosen to share his gifts with us,” commented Dr. Bill Brown, CU president. “We are blessed to enjoy the work of an artist committed to both excellence and truth.” A member of Cedarville’s board of trustees since 1997, Jim is a recognized business leader in the medical industry. He holds more than 70 patents for his work in the bioengineering field. He worked on the first commercial heart-lung machines and artificial kidneys, as well as the continuous flow blood cell separation systems used for leukemia and cancer treatment. Jim has received numerous recognitions and awards, including the 1992 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the State of Michigan in the high-technology class Sculpture Donated to Cedarville University and the 1993 Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce Small Businessperson of the Year Award. He was elected to the VanAndel Medical Hall of Fame in 2000. Jim began sculpting in 1998. Two of Jim’s other sculptures grace campus: “The Creation,” located outside the lower level of the Stevens Student Center, and “Good News,” located inside the Dixon Ministry Center. Ride for Fisheni Two CU alums may be biking through a town near you this summer! Jason Briggs ’07 and Derek Stambaugh ’07 are taking off on the cross-country bike ride of their life for a very worthy cause. Their trip, called Vision On Wheels, will raise support and awareness for the impoverished village of Fisheni, Zambia, in southern Africa. Cedarville University and its Women of Vision chapter have co-adopted this village and have pledged to help Fisheni in the areas of health, literacy, and water over the next 10 years. Jason and Derek hope to raise $100,000 for Fisheni through their trip. Jason, a mechanical engineering major, and Derek, a management major, will be heading west after graduation and starting their bike ride in the Los Angeles area on May 17. Hoping to cover 80 to 100 miles a day, they will be biking through places like the Grand Canyon, Colorado Springs, St. Louis, Cedarville, and Philadelphia. The trip ends in Ocean City, New Jersey in early July. Jason and Derek would love to connect with alumni as they make their journey. To find out if Jason and Derek will be coming to your area, or to mak e a donation online, visit www.cedarville.edu/visiononwheels . You can follow their progress via their blog at www.xanga.com/ride_for_fisheni . Jason Briggs ’07 (left) and Derek Stambaugh ’07 will bike across the country this summer to raise funds for a small African village.