​Mary and Marnix Heersink have always been supporters of education in Dothan and beyond. Mary is a long standing member of the Houston Academy School Board of Trustees, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Health Masters Programme with McMaster University in Canada and Maastricht University in the Netherlands. She also sits on the Board of Visitors for the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. The couple most recently gave a record gift to the UAB School of Medicine to establish the Marnix E. Heersink Institute of Biomedical Innovation and the Mary Heersink Institute of Global Health. Some of their other philanthropic educational initiatives include providing an endowment to support Wallace Community College’s health programs, establishing a Glaucoma Fellowship at Wills Eye Institute, and creating and funding the Marnix E. Heersink School of Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at McMaster University. While the family’s focus these days is on higher education, they appreciate the need for strong early childhood development programs as well. 

 

The Heersinks also have a history of supporting Dothan and its downtown since moving here in the late 1970s. They have contributed to numerous local initiatives including significant support to the Wiregrass Museum of Art, Landmark Park, and building the Dothan Houston County Library System’s two new libraries. They are enthusiastic that the school’s investment in this new location is linked to the current efforts to revitalize Dothan’s downtown.

 

The Heersinks’ initial investment and matching pledge were a game-changing act of generosity that allowed Dothan Montessori School to cement its early childhood program in the Wiregrass. Dothan Montessori School sincerely thanks Dr. and Mrs. Heersink for their generous investment, which is a powerful affirmation of DMS and Dothan’s downtown community.