WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8- Jay Van Andel had a quest to cure cancer
(Update, Kent County, December 7, 2004, 7:23 p.m.) Jay Van Andel, a co-founder of Amway, passed away of natural causes Tuesday morning.

Van Andel’s friends and associates will tell you there is another important aspect to his legacy: he wanted to cure cancer. That is why he founded the Van Andel Research Institute.

His efforts and money help pay for the scientists who labor in the labs and hope to find a cure for cancer. They are making progress in that effort as this year the institute launched its first drug development and discovery program.

Gotta give Jay credit for this one. This might be the most important thing to come out of the pyramid scheme that is (was) Amway. That, and the Van Andel Arena, without which I never would have seen Shania Twain, who is, like, incredibly hot.