Year-round volunteers
1/3/2024The spirit of giving is strong this time of year. We donate so food baskets can provide holiday meals to families, so those needing homes or fellowship can sit down to a hot meal and companionship, so toys can be found under Christmas trees, so kids and adults alike can don warm boots, coats, gloves and hats on cold winter days. But the giving is easy. It’s the hard work of volunteers that make it all happen. And, for many volunteers, giving isn’t seasonal. It’s part of the way they live their lives, January through December.
Dennis Leininger
Homegrown philanthropist
Dennis Leininger of Adel is a homegrown “philanthropist” who has spearheaded a variety of projects, such as the rejuvenation of Oakdale Cemetery, the lighting of the Christmas tree on the Courthouse lawn and body cameras for the police department.
“While watching the news, I felt the police weren’t recognized for the little things they do to help people,” says Dennis. “I also knew, in talking with officers, that doing things for those they encountered, such as buying coffee or a meal, diapers, or paying for a tow, etc., came out of their own pockets. Some needs are more complex and may mean assisting a family with a life-changing situation. I wanted to help connect the generous people of Adel with the opportunities to help our police officers meet the needs they see in the course of their duties.”
So, the idea for www.bluekindness.org was born — and just in time for holiday giving. “Blue Kindness is a nonprofit group that supports Adel Police officers’ ability to perform scattered acts of kindness in the community they serve,” says the group’s mission statement.
Source: Adel Living, December 2023; by Marsha Fisher
TJ Augustine
Parks and Art
TJ Augustine has served on Clive’s Parks, Recreation and Public Art Board for a handful of years and has served as the chair for more than a year. He says he is especially happy about a recent change to the board’s makeup.
“The Parks Board recently grew,” he says. “It’s an all-volunteer group that advises the city council on all matters regarding Parks and Recreation within the city of Clive, which includes the pool, which, of course, is a big thing. Within the last year or so, we actually combined our board with the Public Art board to capture the synergy of that board with ours, because a lot of what we do works together, which is making Clive as attractive a place to live as possible.”
Augustine says blending the boards made a lot of sense, since Clive displays works of art by local artists within the various city parks.
While talking about some of the things that make Clive special, Augustine noted the city’s Greenbelt Goats program, which uses goats in select areas of Clive’s parks to help control weeds, and especially invasive species.
Source: Clive Living, November 2023; by Rich Wicks
Ryan Roberts
Enjoying the Grimes vibe
Ryan Roberts is the definition of a community-centered individual.
He likes where he lives and enjoys helping others, so he does what he can to give back to the Grimes community.
“I just really love giving back to the community and helping out wherever I can, no matter what it is,” he says.
Roberts — who keeps busy with the numerous businesses he owns, including Dreamscape Homebuilders — is committed to making time in his schedule for volunteer work.
He served on the Grimes Chamber and Economic Development Board of Directors for four years, is active with the Lions Club, is part of the Governors Day Committee and donates to the Grimes Storehouse Food Pantry.
In addition, Roberts is active with the DCG Booster Club and runs the grill at events like high school baseball and football games.
For Roberts, just being a member of the Grimes community is a joy.
“Grimes is a pretty close-knit community, and the vibe around Grimes and the people who live in town, it’s just a growing and fun community to be in,” he says.
Source: Grimes/Dallas Center Living, November 2023; by Lindsey Giardino
Bruce Huckfeldt
620 pairs of shoes
As a long-time runner who has run thousands of miles, Bruce Huckfeldt goes through a lot of tennis shoes. He also knows the importance of having good everyday shoes. Yet many people do not own a decent pair of shoes.
So, Huckfeldt began collecting footwear for homeless shelters and those in need.
This year, he presented 620 pairs of shoes to Central Iowa Shelters & Services, a Des Moines shelter with a food pantry and clothing closet.
Two years ago, Huckfeldt began collecting shoes and donated 300 pairs. Last year, he donated 400 pairs and reached out to Bombas, a sock manufacturer that donates one pair of socks for every pair purchased. Bombas then donated 250 pairs of socks, which arrived after the shoe drive. This year, he requested more socks and Bombas gave him 500 pairs.
In previous years, he donated shoes locally to the Dallas County Clothing Closet. However, they didn’t have enough room for this year’s haul.
“Central Iowa Shelter was over the moon with our shoe donations. They only had about 20 pairs left in their inventory,” he says.
Source: Waukee Living, November 2023; by Jackie Wilson
