Woven with Purpose

When Tim and Laurie Soule retired to Arizona in 2015, they weren’t simply closing a chapter — they were opening one. After decades of work, family, and responsibility, they shared a quiet but powerful goal: to find a meaningful way to give back.

They found their answer in wool, in heritage, and in the hands of Navajo Elders.

Today, the Soules are the driving force behind bringing Adopt-A-Native-Elder’s Navajo Rug & Jewelry Show to The Holland Center, where Tim serves on the Board and ensures every weaver and volunteer is fed during the show, and where he and Laurie underwrite the event itself. But their involvement is not just organizational or financial — it is personal. It is their legacy giving project.

The Moment Everything Changed

The turning point came in the fall of 2019 at a sheep herding competition near Park City, Utah. Inside a craft tent, the Soules encountered Navajo women in their 70s and 80s seated on the ground at floor looms, weaving traditional designs. Others carded wool and spun yarn by hand. Rugs lined the walls; silver and turquoise jewelry filled the tables.

They listened as Adopt-A-Native-Elder (ANE) Founder & Director Linda Myers explained the symbolism in the designs and the weaving process. That day, Tim and Laurie purchased their first Navajo rug — and unknowingly stepped into a deeper relationship with the people and traditions behind the art.

For 35 years, ANE’s annual rug show had been held in Deer Valley, Utah, until COVID paused the gatherings. In 2022, the Soules visited ANE’s office and asked if the organization would consider a Scottsdale show. The answer was yes, and The Holland Center — with Director Jennifer Rosvall’s support — became the new home.

Threads That Run Through Generations

Laurie’s connection to the weavers is woven through her own life story.

Her textile journey began with quilting, then teaching quilting, and grew into a 10-year career traveling as a teacher and lecturer. She later worked 20 years with Polartec Fleece Fabric and ran a cottage-industry company employing home-based stitchers.

She is part of five generations of women in textiles — from a grandmother who learned tailoring in Warsaw, to a mother who studied design in New York and designed & crafted millinery, to a daughter who graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and a granddaughter who is now studying art history and textiles. That lineage gives Laurie both a trained eye and a deep respect for the weavers’ craftsmanship.

A Blueprint for Generosity

Tim’s path to service was shaped long before Arizona — and long before retirement.

His professional life spanned leadership and consulting roles in the petroleum, industrial development, and pharmaceutical industries — fields built on systems, logistics, long-range planning, and the understanding that what happens behind the scenes determines whether everything else works. Those same instincts now show up in how he approaches service: structure with purpose, and support that makes the whole effort possible.

But the heart of his philanthropy traces back even further — to his grandmother in Vermont.

“My grandmother owned a gristmill in northern Vermont as well as one of the largest tractor and implement dealerships,” said Tim.

“During the depression, her businesses were self-sustaining and she maintained loyal clientele for nearly 25 years. She had a unique way of managing her business.

“Her home was across the street from the feed store that she owned, and she was a fabulous cook and did baking in the basement of her home. So if you were in her store at noon Monday through Thursday, you were always invited to lunch.

“She kept this going because that’s where she got her customer feedback. Then on Fridays, she would invite her management over for lunch and give them the feedback she learned from the prior lunches.”

And her generosity extended to everyone.

As an example: “If she donated paint for the Catholic church, she also donated paint to the Unitarian church,” said Tim.
From his grandmother, Tim learned that listening is service, hospitality builds trust, and business can be a vehicle for care.

Seeing the Impact Firsthand

The Soules’ commitment deepened when they joined ANE on a food run to the Navajo Nation. Funds raised through the Rug Show help provide provisions such as food, firewood, and medicines to Elders.

“After this trip, and from working with ANE for a year after the first Rug Show, we were sold on this being our legacy giving project,” said Tim.

For Laurie, the motivation is written in the weavers’ expressions.

“It’s the look in the eyes of the Weavers that tell you how thankful and grateful they are,” she said.

Legacy... Continued

Tim and Laurie want to ensure that ANE and The Holland Center can continue their partnership for years to come. Their support helps sustain a tradition that honors artistry while meeting real human needs.

For Tim and Laurie Soule, giving and serving are not side projects — they are the natural extension of lives shaped by heritage, professional leadership, and family examples of generosity. Like a Navajo rug, their legacy is built patiently and intentionally — one thread, one act of service, at a time.

Please consider donating as little as $15 a month to ensure we have many, many more impactful stories like this one to tell. Give here: https://hollandcenter.org/monthlygiving/