Crafting Legacies that Transcend Generations
Seamlessly Integrate Estate Planning and Philanthropic Strategies
We understand your legacy is a multifaceted tapestry, weaving together financial security, family harmony, and a commitment to positive change. Our comprehensive, concierge-level approach combines Private Client Estate Planning and Tax Strategies with Philanthropic Strategies, ensuring your impact reverberates through generations.
Why Choose Us?
• Holistic Vision: Our team collaborates to align your planning objectives and financial goals with your philanthropic vision, creating a comprehensive strategy that reflects your values.
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• Preserving Wealth with Purpose: Our approach goes beyond mere financial preservation. We craft strategies that preserve your wealth while actively contributing to the betterment of society.
Services Tailored for You
• Comprehensive, concierge level private client tax and estate planning
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Contact us today for a consultation and let us guide you in creating a legacy that transcends generations.
The Community Foundation for Western Iowa is your connection to creating a lasting legacy and ensuring our communities are strong, vibrant, and attractive for years to come. We provide a highly personalized plan tailored to each individual or family’s charitable goals, financial interests, and desired impact. In 2023, the Community Foundation and its investors awarded more than $4.5 Million in grants throughout our region.
Omaha Business Hall of Fame Gala
For over 30 years, the Greater Omaha Chamber has celebrated the exceptional legacies of local business luminaries, honoring their dedication to their business, industry and community. These awards highlight achievements that enrich Omaha's vibrant history and foster regional excellence. Championing business success and free enterprise also enhances the community's quality of life and bolsters its economic vitality. Proceeds from this gala contribute to Omaha's economic development and create opportunities for young professionals.
The 2024 Class
Their shared talents and strengths are evident in their dedication to entrepreneurship, community service, and leadership. From successful business ventures to transformative philanthropic efforts, these individuals have demonstrated a commitment to making a positive impact in their communities and industries. Through their innovative approaches and unwavering dedication, they have set new standards of excellence and inspired others to follow in their footsteps.
Sid Meridith
Sid Meridith is from Boone, Nebraska, where his parents owned a small general merchandise store. He was taught, at an early age, how to satisfy customers in a small business environment. After attending a one-room schoolhouse, then to high school in St. Edward, Sid enrolled in Nebraska Wesleyan and pursued a degree in business. Once graduated, Sid joined the Navy and served seven years as an officer during Vietnam. After his military service, he settled in Omaha with an entrepreneur mindset and started Security Equipment Inc.(SEi) in October of 1969.
SEi has offices in Lincoln, Des Moines, Iowa City, and Kansas City with over 220 employees and a fleet of installation/service vehicles that provide services to more than 18,000 customers in 41 states.
Sid and his wife Sara work with many community organizations like: American Legion, Nebraska Community Foundation, Autism Action Partnership, Boys & Girls Clubs, Nebraska Wesleyan, Lifetime Member in Ducks Unlimited & Pheasants Forever.
Lance M. Fritz
Lance M. Fritz served as Union Pacific chairman, president, and chief executive officer from 2015 until 2023, when he retired from those roles after 23 years of service with the railroad. He currently serves as a special advisor to the company.
Lance began his Union Pacific career in July 2000 as vice president and general managerEnergy in the company’s Marketing and Sales department. Throughout his Union Pacific career, he also served in executive positions in the Operating and Labor Relations departments, and as president and chief operating officer of Union Pacific Railroad. In addition to his ongoing role at Union Pacific, Lance joined the board of Fiserv, Inc. as of mid-February this year.
Lance is a graduate of Bucknell University and earned a master’s degree in management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is a member of the board of directors for Nebraska Medicine, Omaha Zoological Society, the Kiewit Luminarium, Parker-Hannifin Corporation, and The Business Council.
Lance and his wife, Julie, have two children and are committed to helping women and children at risk in the Omaha community.
Sid meridith
Lance m. fritz
omaha business hall of fame
Joan H. Squires
Joan H. Squires is President of Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa). She started the organization over 20 years ago, and now O-pa is the largest arts organization in Nebraska, overseeing the Orpheum Theater, Holland Performing Arts Center, Steelhouse Omaha, and the Tenaska Center for Arts Engagement (opening early 2026).
Joan is a voting member for Broadway’s Tony Awards and is an ex-officio member of the Broadway League Executive Committee and Board of Governors and co-chairs the Jimmy Awards Advisory Committee.
She is a recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award, was named to the Ak-Sar-Ben Court of Honor for her leadership role in the arts, and was named one of Musical America’s 30 “Movers and Shapers.” Joan was honored with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management from the Broadway League, was recognized as “Midlander of the Year” by the Omaha World Herald and was named the “Woman of Distinction” by the Midlands Business Journal.
Constance Ryan
Connie Ryan earned a medical technology degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and joined the family business, Streck, Inc., in 1982. She became president in 1992 and CEO in 2013.
Since that time, the company has experienced consistent, steady growth through acquisitions and the introduction of 45 new products. Revenue for fiscal 2023 was over $225 million. Streck was recently sold to Madison Industries under Connie’s guidance.
Connie served as a Habitat Omaha Board Member from 2015 to 2020 and on the Habitat Omaha Advisory Council from 2021 to 2022. In 2023, with Sue Thaden, Connie cofounded the Women Build: Belvedere-Miller Park Project to raise funds for the acquisition of homes, critical home repair and neighborhood clean-up in the Belvedere Point, Miller Park and Minne Lusa neighborhoods. She currently serves on the Luminarium Board, Omaha Symphony Board, iEXCEL Advisory Board, and the Quality Committee at UNMC. She is a member of YPO Gold and the Chief Executives Organization.
Mickey, C.L., & Jim Landen
Clarence L. “Mickey” Landen, Jr. founded Security National Bank in 1964, dedicated to providing a higher level of service. He remained active in the bank until his passing at age 87 in 2011. Mickey and his wife Mary shared a love for their community and a commitment to giving back.
Clarence L. “C.L.” Landen III., joined the bank in 1980, holding positions including president and currently CEO. He also serves on the board of directors of Methodist Hospital and Nebraska Methodist Health System. He is a past Governor of the Aksarben Foundation, and he and his wife Patty are co-chairs of the Heart Ministry Center Holy Smokes fundraiser.
James E. “Jim” Landen, Sr., acts as executive chairman, having joined the bank in 1987 and serving most of his career as president and later CEO. Jim upholds the Landen family’s tradition of involvement with Salvation Army, on the national and Omaha advisory boards. He is also a board member of Clarkson Regional Health Service. Jim and his wife Diny were named United Way Citizens of the Year in 2021.
mickey, c.L., & Jim Landen
Joan h. SquireS
connie ryan
Dick Mueller
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE FIREHOUSE DINNER THEATRE
stage works, too.
The earliest of these were opera, vaudeville and burlesque houses. Some transitioned to movie theaters. Nonprofit stages became the rule. In the ’70s impresarios opened commercial dinner theaters, none more successfully than Dick Mueller. His Firehouse Dinner Theatre became an anchor attraction in the fledgling Old Market of the 1970s and 1980s.
Located in the city’s original fire station at 11th and Jackson streets, now home to Upstream Brewery, the Firehouse enjoyed a run of packed houses and world premieres before struggling and ultimately failing as dinner theaters lost their appeal. Three-plus decades since the final curtain, Mueller reflects on that golden era in a new book, “The Firehouse Memoir,” published by Camp Mueller Publishing and Concierge Marketing Inc. of Omaha. An April 21 launch party for the book saw Firehouse alums share nostalgiafueled stories.
“We’d never had a reunion before,” Mueller said of the Firehouse gang. “I just thought it was a good idea to combine one with my book-signing event. And in the very location of the theatre, too. It was a big success.”
He reunited with colleagues unseen in years.
“Rick Kleber, who came all the way from L.A., was in a number of productions and absolutely brought the house down every night with ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat’ in ‘Guys and Dolls,’” he said. “Old friends Rich and Bridget Robbins — she performed in many shows — came from Florida. Someone else came from Dallas.”
The event, like the book, framed how much the Firehouse meant to Mueller and friends.
“I think the main keystone of my life has been the Firehouse,” he said. “I guess in a
have wonderful things to say.”
Though he ran it as a business, the venture was more about fulfilling a dream than making money, which backfired in the end.
“It was more an extension of me, and vice versa. I’ve always been confused about where one started and the other left off,” he said. “Of course, that’s why I got in trouble with it at the end because I tried to keep it going long after it wasn’t a viable business anymore. If it had been [just] a business I could have sold it, walked away, and been in good shape. But I couldn’t do that.”
Big start
The Omaha native, whose traveling salesman father was also a musician and bandleader, began in show business as a singer with a doo-wop quartet, The Stylemasters, birthed out of Omaha Central High School in the 1950s. The group won a national talent contest, performed in resort nightclubs and recorded on major labels.
Seeing the original Broadway production of “My Fair Lady“ in 1960 New York convinced him the theater was where he should devote his energies. That epiphany changed his career trajectory from nightclub performer to actor.
“That was a pivotal moment for me. I had never really thought of theater before,” Mueller said.
He studied acting in The Big Apple and did a season of summer stock in upper New York state. His looks and talent only took him so far. The auditions grind brought him back home, where he became a big fish in a small pond on community theater stages in Omaha and Council Bluffs.
DICK MUELLER THE FIREHOUSE MEMOIR
BY LEO ADAM BIGA | PHOTOS BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN AND COURTESY OF DICK MUELLER
I think the main keystone of my life has been the Firehouse. I guess in a sense that’s what I feel I was destined to do and I feel like I was pretty good at it.
DICK MUELLER, FORMER OWNER OF THE FIREHOUSE DINNER THEATRE
Meanwhile, the hustler’s first entrepreneurial leap came with developing and selling a personal pet shelter product, Pup Tent. His natural charisma and chutzpah sold lots of units.
He and future restauranteur Rusty Harmsen opened Dictates boutique in the Old Market as that old wholesale produce district was still finding its legs as an arts-culture haven. “We were both real pioneers down there,” Mueller said of Harmsen and himself.
When Mueller acted at the popular Chanhassen Dinner Theatre in Minneapolis and visited another thriving dinner theater in Denver, he saw great potential for this new dinner and a show model. In the book, he describes how he got caught up in a craze that spread across the U.S. and determined to bring it back to Omaha.
“It was a phenomenon, this dinner theater thing. It was a wave that I luckily caught,” he said.
Thanks to Mueller and other visionaries the phenomenon took hold firmly enough that Omaha supported three dinner theaters at once: the Firehouse, the Westroads Dinner Theatre and Talk of the Town.
“It was a very popular form of entertainment. Omaha had three professional houses with a combined 1,200 dinner theater seats doing eight shows a week,” he said. “They were all paying people a living wage or whatever actors considered a living wage back then. Actors were moving to town to live and work here.”
Even after the fad wore off, Omaha wasn’t through with it as the Upstairs Dinner Theatre and Dundee Dinner Theatre followed. Today, a niche variation operates as the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre.
Tired of the auditioning process and eager to realize his own path, Mueller set about raising money for the Firehouse.
“I guess I had to build my own place and run my own show to end up doing what I wanted to do,” he said.
Scouting a location
Before fixing on the old fire station, two locations were considered: the then-new Westroads Mall, and the old Hayden House restaurant at Union Station. Union Pacific decided to unload Union Station to the group that eventually turned it into the Western Heritage Museum, now the Durham Museum.
He finally found his spot in Firehouse No.1, then home to an automotive parts business.
“The company that occupied it was moving out and selling the building. It was filled with mufflers and tailpipes. I walked through and decided, yeah, this will work,” he remembered.
He raised $50,000 from investors, acquiring the vintage building for $37,000, and retrofitting it with a stage, lighting, seats and tables.
“A dollar was worth a heck of a lot more back then,” he said.
The theater opened in 1972 to much fanfare. After parting ways with his original partner, attorney Norm Deneberg, Mueller said there were about five or six limited partners.
“A couple of years later I bought all of them out. From then on I was the owner,” he said.
Strong support
He and his then-wife MariJane Mueller, a fellow actor he met at Chanhassen, started a family. His sister Jannelle helped run the theater.
“She was my right hand,” he said.
His brother Bob, an accountant, pitched in, and his other brother, Ed, an industrial designer, contributed artwork as well as the design for the Wine Cellar bar-restaurant Mueller opened beneath the theater. The Wine Cellar eventually became Harrigan’s.
“One New Year’s Eve my dad and his band played for a big party after the show,” he said. “We got everybody in the family involved.”
A professional dinner theater’s costs range from food to staff to actors and directors to sets to rights fees for theatrical properties and music.
“The first few years the food was catered by Hap Abraham and his father (Abraham Catering). After that we built our own kitchen on the corner of 12th and Jackson, where we prepared the food ourselves,” Mueller said. “Producing quality theater is a rather expensive proposition, so the shows were probably our biggest expense.”
The ambitious Mueller sometimes paid a premium price for top-tier talent, as when he secured national theater artists Leland Ball and Joshua Logan to direct there and got playwright Dale Wasserman to agree to a world premiere production of “Shakespeare
CONTINUED
DICK MUELLER, FORMER OWNER OF FIREHOUSE DINNER THEATRE
Dick Mueller
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE FIREHOUSE DINNER THEATRE
and the Indians.” The Firehouse once hosted a tribute to native son stage and screen star Henry Fonda.
During Firehouse’s heyday, Mueller’s ambitions extended to launching Omaha Magazine.
“That kind of grew out of the theater program we produced for our shows. I perceived city magazines to be a pretty hot deal and thought Omaha should have one of its own. So we morphed the program into a bigger publication,” he said.
After five years he sold it to Wally Duff.
Mueller remembers most of the theater’s nearly 20 year-run with fondness.
“The place did very well for many years, actually building itself into a very good theater facility — and all from the sale of theater tickets and bar-restaurant revenue,” he said.
The price of dinner and a meal, even for that time, was a steal, ranging from $6 to $8 and only surpassing $10 near the end.
“It was a hell of a deal, and the public knew it and quickly caught onto it,” he said. “The food was good, the shows were good, and it was fun. We lived on our box office. We had to sell tickets. We were very attuned to our audience. It certainly generated a lot of money and a lot of traffic. We grossed $2 million a year those early years.”
Nothing seemingly could defeat the Firehouse, not even after an arsonist set fire to the stage in the middle of the night in 1975, causing extensive damage. Cast, crew, staff, patrons came to the scene and in a dramatic show-must-go-on display began cleaning up debris.
“There was so much energy that rather than be maudlin and sink into the sadness, we went to work,” he said. “By that evening the place was on its way back. The fire chief couldn’t believe it. He’d never seen anything like it.”
The rebuild operation got the theater back in business in only four months.
“When we put it back together it was a much better theater because we were able to take out a low ceiling over the stage and open it all the way up to the roof. Our lights and everything could go higher. It improved everything,” he said.
Through the theater’s highs and lows, Mueller called the shots.
“I’m not a big fan of committees,” he said. “I’m a big believer in the individual as opposed to groups or boards of directors. It’s individuals who actually get things done.”
Even after the fire the theater thrived. Extensive media coverage helped.
“There were some shows we did where there was as many as 20 reviews by newspapers, radio and TV stations, from as far away as Des Moines, Sioux Falls, Lincoln,” Mueller said.
Taking a turn
The reviews meant free publicity. Much of it dried up as small-town papers folded, reducing the theater’s once brisk group sales market. By the late ‘80s, the cost of doing business increased, forcing ticket prices to soar.
A for-profit theater like his competed on an unequal playing field with nonprofits that could offset costs and supplement box office revenue with grants and donations.
Plus, as daily life got more hectic fewer folks could make the four-hour commitment for dinner and a show.
“At the end we were struggling financially,” he said. “I had succumbed to the last resort of taking the place nonprofit. I was dealing with the whole thing of other people getting involved, feeling their oats and wanting to run things.”
He even lost the building.
“The Spaghetti Works people bought it, which basically saved our ass. It was originally
bought at auction by a couple of well-heeled individuals,” Mueller said. “They were going to turn it into a restaurant. I would not be defeated yet. I went to the Spaghetti Works and suggested they look into buying it and saving it, which they did.”
He got it back, only to lose it and have the IRS shutter its doors. He wasn’t there for the bitter end when the theater closed for good in the early 1990s.
“It was all desperate efforts to keep it going. It probably was destined to close anyway,” he said. “Sadly, and embarrassingly, I lost everything in trying to keep the place alive. I was a little overwhelmed at that particular moment in my life.”
Along the way he tried recreating the magic of Harrigan’s but that went bust, too.
“There’s a great danger in life never having failed and I hadn’t failed at anything up to that point,” Mueller said.
“Looking back,” he said, “I would have been more well-fixed today if I had been a better businessman. I was driven by my passion and my desire to do what I wanted to do. But when things were going in our direction I rode the wave pretty good.”
Firehouse remembered
When social media arrived, he started a Facebook page drawing on his archive of production photos, playbills, reviews and correspondence.
“I considered Facebook to be the last resting place for all that stuff,” he said. “When the page proved popular I knew there was a wealth of goodwill, still and that encouraged me to do the book. I started just writing short stories. That picked up momentum.”
In the book he suggests a new model of financial support for the arts that combines free enterprise, market-driven contributions with charitable giving. As a for-profit operator, he produced the same product as nonprofit theaters, but his corporate structure denied him the philanthropy and tax breaks they got.
He said as the theater has become dominated by nonprofits locally, regionally and nationally, maverick producers of old, such as David Merrick and Hal Prince, have disappeared.
“Producers were businessmen. They produced theater as a business,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s any David Merricks or Hal Princes left. It’s all committees and conglomerates. Broadway is the epicenter of commercial theater and yet most of its product originates in the nonprofit world.”
He notes that live theater in America is struggling, especially since COVID, which is why theater affiliated groups have gone before Congress seeking billions in federal aid. He dislikes the idea of Washington D.C. holding the purse strings. His preference is to put theater’s fate in the hands of the public and mavericks.
He proposes reducing arts ticket and season membership prices and making these purchases tax deductible, with the difference in revenue reimbursed to producingpresenting organizations by the philanthropic community that already supports the arts.
“A precedent for this funding concept might be found in the way the government has chosen to encourage people to buy electric vehicles by giving them a tax rebate,” Mueller writes in the book.
Concurrently, he champions embracing producers with real skin in the game who are led by creating art and entertainment.
“My point is the entrepreneur is a lost member in today’s arts world. I feel sad about that because I think it’s the entrepreneur, the individual that makes things happen. My hope for the book is it generates some conversations about that idea,” he said.
As for Mueller, he never considered trying his hand at theater ownership again.
“I was too beat down. I had to have my 40 years in the desert. So the book is my comeback,” he said.
Curtain Call
Firehouse Dinner Theatre: Book Launch and Reunion
Organization: Firehouse Dinner Theatre
Event: Book Launch and Reunion
When: April 21, 2024
Where: Upstream Brewing Company (former location of the Firehouse Dinner Theatre)
Why: To introduce “The Firehouse Memoir: For an Entrepreneur in the Arts, from Nightclubs to Theatre, ‘Twas All Showbiz to Me” by Dick Mueller, and to serve as a reunion for the Firehouse Dinner Theatre family of actors, crew and supporters. Guests enjoyed a video reel featuring photos and video clips from Firehouse Dinner Theatre performances of yesteryear.
Special Guests: Guests came to the event from as far away as Boston, south Florida, Los Angeles and Dallas.
Event Planner: Hosted by Concierge Marketing and Book Publishing Services, Dick Mueller and Lisa Pelto
Attendance: 175
LORETTA WOLF AND PAT KIES
LONGTIME FIREHOUSE STAGE MANAGER MIKE RUNICE AND DICK MUELLER
BRIDGET WILEY ROBBINS, WHO CAME FROM SOUTH FLORIDA, AND DICK MUELLER
DICK MUELLER (RIGHT) WITH BROTHER ROBERT MUELLER
DICK MUELLER WITH JIM AND PAM KALAL, WHO WERE MAINSTAYS OF THE FIREHOUSE BRIGADE
DICK MUELLER HUGGING JIM BOGGESS OF THE FIREHOUSE BRIGADE FAME
PAT KIES, RICK KLEBER, WHO CAME FROM LOS ANGELES, AND DICK MUELLER
DICK MUELLER WITH LONGTIME FIREHOUSE MANAGER ED WELCH
DICK MUELLER WITH THE “WOLF PACK,” ALMOST ALL OF WHOM WORKED AT THE FIREHOUSE: KAREN JARNECIC, MARGARET WOLF, DICK MUELLER, LORETTA WOLF, ED WOLF
PHOTOS BY ALTERICK WILSON
WOMEN WHO WOW
Through an innovative idea that provides a unique combination of support and services, Kim Kuhle is creating new possibilities for military veterans who want to develop their own businesses.
Kim Kuhle, founder and CEO of Veterans Victory Housing and Small Business Centers, borrows a famous statement from President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address to describe her deeprooted drive to serve: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
“That gives me goosebumps even to this day,” she said. “I’ve always had that mission, and now I have succeeded.”
That measure of success is that in 2018, Kuhle created a master corporation called Opportunity Zone LLC, which specializes in providing real estate developments and supportive services for veterans. She is now responsible for bank compliance consulting and business development for $100 million worth of offices, housing, programs and business assistance centers to serve veterans in Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ).
“I have, spinning down from Opportunity Zone LLC on the organizational chart, several companies, and then those companies are individually mixeduse single assets,” Kuhle explained. “The message for veterans is that we can provide all the connections that veterans need to grow their own businesses, and we will have the housing right there on site. We’ll have various medical-oriented companies on site plus the modern technology companies and green companies. We will have, literally, a Housing and Small Business Center that provides what many people call ‘social capital’ and some people call it ‘intellectual capital.”
There are locations in the planning stage in Omaha and horizontal construction stages underway in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and South Sioux City, Nebraska, with nine more developments possible in the future.
She added, “So, we have a workwith-play community that is within a larger community... These are big projects, and the beauty of the Opportunity Zone program is that the community members are instrumental in making a success of this.”
Her enterprise also provides consulting services for QOZ developers who want to work with banks to get Community Reinvestment Act credit for investments and loans. Kuhle explained that Veterans Victory Opportunity Fund (VVOF) is a private-equity real estate Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF) designed as a vehicle for investors with capital gains equity. Funds are used to purchase, construct and renovate mixed-use properties marketed to veterans, resulting in ADA-accessible, green multifamily apartments, business offices and programs for veterans that create above-market returns for the investor.
Influence and inspiration
Kuhle isn’t a military veteran herself, but her father was still serving when she was very young. “I lived on four different Air Force bases,” she said. The family eventually settled in Lincoln, where Kuhle received her education, earning both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her
family was an important influence, Kuhle said. She’s a third-generation developer and entrepreneur on her father Don Kuhle’s side; and her mother Shirley had a long history of service with a focus on helping victims of domestic violence and other crimes, and also had a successful real estate career.
Kuhle also said her mother was an inspiration for serving veterans through Opportunity Zone LLC, explaining that Shirley Kuhle continued her advocacy work and career after sustaining burn injuries in an accident and despite the ensuing pain and other health issues that plagued her for decades.
“My mother succeeded in overcoming pain and became a business leader in the state of Nebraska and then also became an international advocate for victims of crime,” Kuhle said. “Based on watching my mother—the message is that if a veteran has wounds, psychological or physical or both, then there’s still a lot of support out there, a lot of hope to grow the business of his or her dreams.”
Lift up and link up
Kuhle’s unique professional background also set her up well for her current endeavors, and she credits her success to a continuous effort to seek innovation.
“I worked for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and helped them get some key community-oriented businesses going. And then I evolved that into a 20-year banking career, and I did the same thing for various cultural groups. For
STORY
KARA SCHWEISS
mission to serve kim kuhle
BY
| PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN • mMAGAZINE
WOMEN WHO WOW Sponsored by
HOW CAN WE HELP suffering COMMUNITIES? HELP THEM OWN AND manage ASSETS.
~ KIM KUHLE
example, I helped to lift up a community health center—it is a nonprofit, of course; it’s a federally qualified community health center—and now it has several satellite operations,” she said. “I also helped to create 6,500 units of affordable housing; that is where I can talk about helping to finance small businesses. In banking, my specialty was Community Reinvestment Act… A lot of bankers who get that Community Reinvestment Act job come from a nonprofit, but I came from business and finance. I was always helping the nonprofit stretch their dollars beyond what they thought they could do, so that in the end, we could help that diverse community to own and manage assets. That is the way out of poverty: How can we help suffering communities? Help them own and manage assets.”
Kuhle has also shared her talents with many nonprofit boards and community organizations over the years, and said she always encourages other professionals to give back to the community through nonprofit service.
“(It provides) a chance to grow your professional skills in marketing, human resources, decisionmaking leadership; there are so many decisions you get to make
on a nonprofit board that you could never have access to any other way,” she said. “It really helps you become a more wellrounded person and it helps you understand how and why people are suffering.”
Between her nonprofit and professional work, Kuhle cultivated numerous contacts in multiple communities. She said that she discovered another way to help others: facilitating connections. This can serve as an important catalyst especially for individuals or groups trying to get established in a new sector or place, she said.
“People who are struggling quite frequently don’t have the contacts that can help them get to the next level, so I try as much as possible to make referrals,” she said.
Looking back on her remarkable professional imprint, Kuhle said she advises other professionals to pursue what they love and to consider how their work helps the community.
“The feeling of satisfaction is the thing that makes the difference between doing mediocre work and getting by and being excellent,” she said. “If you are totally fulfilled in what you’re doing, then you will achieve excellence.”
This special feature is sponsored by planitinc.
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Uplifting Sarpy and Cass Counties
Midlands Community Foundation: 2024 Reflection Ball
Name of Organization: Midlands Community Foundation
Event Name: 2024 Reflection Ball
When: January 20, 2024
Where: Embassy Suites La Vista
Why: To support the needs of nonprofit organizations that provide programs and services in Sarpy and Cass counties in the areas of art, community and economic development, education, health, and human services.
Special Guests: The 2024 Reflection Award was presented to Carey and Brian Hamilton by Rick Iske, MCF Board President, and Valerie and Ryan Downs, 2024 Reflection Ball Honorary Chairs.
Amount Raised: $170,000
About: The focus of Midlands Community Foundation is to assist with community development by improving and enhancing the quality of life for the residents of Sarpy and Cass counties. The Midlands Community Foundation Board of Directors is made up of individuals from the Sarpy and Cass county areas who bring a high degree of involvement to the Foundation and its mission.
Midlands Community Foundation began as a community-based foundation in 1994. Since that time, Midlands Community Foundation has enriched many local organizations through gifts and grants totaling more than $12.0 million. The Foundation has placed an emphasis on prevention and education. It is the Foundation’s belief that we are to serve these “not for profit” organizations for the betterment of the community.
Diamond Sponsors
Bellevue University
Five Points Bank
Gold Sponsors
CHI Health & Midlands Medical Staff
Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O.
Pinnacle Bank
Wine Sponsor
American Family Insurance
(Dan Grzywa, Terri Scholting, Ken Summerfield)
Silver Sponsors
Adams & Sullivan, P.C., L.L.O.
Asian Market Assurity
E & A Consulting Group, Inc.
Lincoln Industries
Rick Iske Insurance, Inc.
Roloff Construction
Union Bank & Trust
Corporate Sponsors
Beardmore Subaru Bellevue Comm. Foundation
Terri & Tim Burke Catalyst Public Affairs
First National Bank Frederick Brothers Rental
HDR Houston Engineering Meta
In Motion Physical Therapy Nebraska Medicine
Northwest Bank Omaha Public Power District
Papillion Area Community Singers
Papillion La Vista Community Schools Foundation
Reinsch, Slattery, Bear, Minahan & Prickett
Karla Rupiper & Bob O’Neal
Sampson Construction Vetter Senior Living
Sarpy County Sports Commission
Witte Physical Therapy
LEANNE SOTAK, MARTHA AND KEVYN SOPINSKI, MANDI AND CONGRESSMAN MIKE FLOOD
RYAN AND VALERIES DOWNS, CAREY AND BRIAN HAMILTON, DIANE KNICKY, RICK ISKE
2024 REFLECTION BALL COMMITTEE
JUDGE S. COLIN PALM, BELLEVUE MAYOR RUSTY HIKE, TAMMI PALM
JIM AND DR. MARY HAWKINS, SARPY COUNTY ATTORNEY LEE POLIKOV AND TERRY CALEK
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MIDLANDS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
DIANE KNICKY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MIDLANDS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
Midlands Community Foundation
CONNECTING BUSINESSES WITH NONPROFITS
BY DON RASHID PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN
Midlands Community Foundation partners with the local business community and individuals who seek to broaden their personal community impact.
Executive Director Diane Knicky who has been with the Foundation since 2007 said that the 501(c)(3) organization provides opportunities for individuals and organizations to meet charitable giving goals under its nonprofit umbrella. MCF administers over 175 charitable funds. About 92% of every donated dollar goes to programming supporting the community versus administrative expenses.
Raising funds for distribution to nonprofits that serve residents of Sarpy and Cass counties in Nebraska is the major focus of the foundation. Organizations like the Food Bank For The Heartland can be located in other counties as long as their reach extends to serving residents in the two-county area.
On May 20, the organization hosted its annual golf tournament at Oak Hills Country Club with 36 teams of 144 golfers. Seven food pantries were selected by the board of directors to receive a portion of the event’s proceeds.
Each year, the foundation and its board plan a large-scale event to raise funds and celebrate the efforts of people making an impact in Sarpy and Cass counties. This major fundraiser features an award presented to an individual or individuals that support the foundation and/or have been an active part of Sarpy or Cass County. Event sponsorships for the 2025 gala fundraiser can be secured by contacting Knicky.
While the golf tournament and annual gala are the two Foundation events held each year, donations are accepted for the bi-annual and monthly grant programs and charitable funds administered.
Bi-annual grants are awarded each year typically ranging from $2,500 and $10,000 with some awards in the $15,000 to $20,000 level. Health, art, culture, community, education, economic development, and human services are the key areas nonprofits can apply for these grants. Contributions can be made throughout the year to replenish funds. Nonprofits can download a grant information and guidelines brochure on the Foundation’s website www.MidlandsCommunity.org.
Each month grants up to $1,000 are awarded to nonprofits requiring funds for immediate needs. Interested organizations can write a letter or send an email. Donations to this grant program go directly to organizations working within their community.
In February 2024, MCF announced that 111 of the 175 charitable funds administered took advantage of the Matching Charitable Program. This sponsored program raised more than $1.8 million during Giving Tuesday, November 28, 2023, through January 5, 2024. $629,977 qualified for matching funds.
“Each year, the results of our Match Program exceed our expectations,” Knicky said. “We are pleased to offer this opportunity to our more than 175 charitable funds, enhancing their visibility and outreach, connecting them with new donors, and offering donors added motivation to support the missions of these charitable funds.”
217 N. JEFFERSON ST., PAPILLION, NEBRASKA 68046
PHONE: 402-991-8027
WEBSITE: WWW.MIDLANDSCOMMUNITY.ORG
SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK • X
Name Of Organization: Visiting Nurse Association
Event Name: Art & Soup
When: March 10, 2024
Where: Omaha Design Center
Why: VNA’s Art & Soup event places nurses in every shelter in Omaha and Council Bluffs.
Valet Parking By: Paramount Valet
Attendance: 900
Amount Raised: $186,000
Mission: Deliver expert, compassionate care to under-resourced individuals and families in our community
About: Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) is a nonprofit organization that delivers expert, compassionate care to under-resourced individuals and families in the Omaha and Council Bluffs communities since 1896. VNA fosters a community where everyone can access the care and support they need to thrive. VNA ensures that expert guidance and compassionate care are accessible to all—no matter someone’s age, income, or ability.
For more information: (402) 930-4000 or www.vnatoday.org
Event Summary: Art & Soup helps fund VNA’s Shelter Nursing services, providing a VNA nurse in every group maternity home, domestic violence shelter, and homeless shelter in Omaha and Council Bluffs. This program is 100% community-funded to provide healthcare to our community’s most vulnerable populations. Twenty restaurants donate their time, labor and ingredients and 35 artists donate at least 50% of their sales so those experiencing homelessness or domestic violence can receive critical care and supportive services.
Feeding Souls
Visiting Nurse Association: Art & Soup
R TO L: GWYNNE GONNERMAN, DANA GONZALES, JOHN HOICH, CAROLE PATRICK
ARTIST: STEVE TAMAYO
35 LOCAL ARTISTS DONATED AT LEAST 50% OF THEIR SALES TO SUPPORT VNA’S SHELTER NURSING PROGRAM
PHOTOS BY JORDAN STUMBO
Life-changing Wishes
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska: Blue Jean Ball
Name Of Organization:
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska
Event Name: Blue Jean Ball
When: April 27, 2024
Where: Embassy Suites La Vista
Why: Raise the necessary funds to grant the heartfelt wishes for children in Nebraska.
Special Guests: Dr. James Fahner, Founder and Endowed Division Chief Emeritus of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Ethie Haworth Children’s Cancer Center, and Executive Director of Philanthropy for Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and the Corewell Health West Medical Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Wish Kid alum Allie.
Attendance: 600
Amount Raised: $472,000
For more information: (402) 333-8999, wish.org/nebraska
Sponsors: Lindsay Corporation, Title Sponsor; Broadmoor Development, Fund A Wish Sponsor; Union Pacific Railroad/Valmont Industries, Dinner Sponsors; Farm Credit Services of America, Live Auction Sponsor; McGill Restoration, Silent Auction Sponsor; Heider Family Foundation/Scheels, Lead Wish Sponsors; Werner Enterprises, Social Hour Sponsor; Alesia Architecture/Koley Jessen/Scoular, Raffle Sponsors; Abe's Trash Service/Ag Processing, Keynote Wish Speaker Sponsors; Cushman & Wakefield-The Lund Co./Pinnacle Bank/Olsson, Entertainment Sponsors; Bozell, Marketing & Design Sponsor
Event Summary: Candi Kirkwood served as the Blue Jean Ball Friends Council President and Denise Willet as the Event Chair. This celebration featured inspiring stories about Wish Kids along with dinner, silent and live auctions, and entertainment.
BRIGETTE YOUNG, PRESIDENT/CEO; MARK & CAMILLE JENSEN, 2024 HONORARY CHAIRS; SAM BRYANT, WISH KID ALUM/EVENT CO-EMCEE
SAM BRYANT, WISH KID ALUM/EVENT CO-EMCEE WITH PARENTS ERICA AND AARON BRYANT
WISH KID ALLIE SINGING THE 'FIGHT SONG'
PHOTOS BY MATT ELWOOD
Record-breaking Event
Name Of Organization: Omaha Public Power District and Metropolitan Utilities District
Event Name: Heat the Streets Run & Walk for Warmth
When: March 2, 2024
Where: Zone 6 of Omaha’s Aksarben Village
Why: The utilities team up for this annual fundraiser to raise money for their respective energy assistance programs. Money raised through registrations, sponsorships, and donations goes to help individuals and families struggling to pay their utility bills.
Special Guests: This year’s co-chairs were Jim Begley, chair of the M.U.D. Board of Directors, and his wife, Rebecca; and Matt Core, a member of the OPPD Board of Directors, and his wife, Katy.
Attendance: 1,055
Amount Raised: $175,828 (preliminary report)
Mission: OPPD’s Mission: Provide affordable, reliable and environmentally sensitive energy services to our customers. M.U.D.’s Mission: Provide safe, reliable and cost-effective natural gas and water services to our community.
About: Funds are administered by Dollar Energy Fund, a 501 (c)(3) organization that provides utility assistance to limited-income households in Nebraska through partnerships with M.U.D. and OPPD.
For more information: www.heatthestreetsomaha.com
Sponsors: Lozier Foundation, SBS Corp, Tenaska, 879 FM The Culture, Blue Cross Blue Shield Nebraska, Burns McDonnell, metro Magazine, NextEra Energy, Northern Natural Gas, Wright Tree Service, Google, United Healthcare, Dollar Energy Fund, HDR, Paul Davis Restoration, Regal Awards, Roloff Construction, Runza, Broadmoor, CHI Health, FBG Facility Services, Fleet Feet, FNTS, Fraser Stryker, HGM Assoc, Local 763, Investors Realty, One Source, Pansing, Hogan, Ernst & Buser, Primoris, Puro Clean, Streck, Tachyon Technologies, United Way 211, Valmont
Event Summary: OPPD and M.U.D. co-hosted the 17th annual Heat the Streets Run & Walk for Warmth March 2nd at Omaha’s Aksarben Village. The event drew a record 1,055 participants, with all proceeds from registrations, sponsorships and donations split between OPPD’s Energy Assistance Program and M.U.D.’S Home Fund. Each utility will receive over $81,000, which will help a total of 535 households struggling to pay their utility bills due to financial hardship.
M.U.D. HAD 231 EMPLOYEES SIGN UP THIS YEAR, GOING A BIG WAY TOWARD HELPING THEIR CUSTOMERS IN NEED
PHOTOS BY UTILITY GROUPS AND COURTESY OF ROGER HUMPHRIES
Heat the Streets Run & Walk for Warmth
OPPD’S GARRY FLOYD BROUGHT A LOT OF ENERGY TO THE RUN
ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY TALLIES, A RECORD AMOUNT OF FUNDING—$175,828—WAS RAISED FOR OPPD’S AND M.U.D.’S ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
SERIOUS RUNNERS HAD THE OPTION OF TIMED 5K OR 10K RUNS, WHICH STARTED AND ENDED AT ZONE 6 OF OMAHA’S AKSARBEN
VILLAGE
A RECORD 1,055 RUNNERS AND WALKERS TOOK PART IN THE HEAT THE STREETS RUN & WALK FOR WARMTH
Swing for the Spectrum
Autism Action Partnership: AAP’s 4th Annual Golf Fundraiser
Name Of Organization: Autism Action Partnership
Event Name: AAP’s 4th Annual Golf Fundraiser
When: May 6, 2024
Where: Shadow Ridge Country Club
Why: For 16 years, Autism Action Partnership has served Nebraska’s autism community through support, inclusion and prosperity.
Special Guests: Co-chairs Lisa and Mike Meridith, Jill and Jimmy Barger
Attendance: 120
Amount Raised: Over $40,000
Mission: To improve the quality of life of persons on the Autism Spectrum and their families.
About: Autism Action Partnership serves Nebraska’s autism community through targeted programs that promote support, inclusion and prosperity. SUPPORT: We are committed to connecting individuals and families to needed resources over their lifespan and opportunities to connect. INCLUSION: Our inclusion efforts aim to create more understanding and increased opportunities for the autism community.
PROSPERITY: We help to answer the question of “what’s next” as autistic individuals enter adulthood through Prosper Workforce Services and life-skill programming.
For more information: (402) 763-8830 or https://autismaction.org
Sponsors: Presenting Sponsor: SEi, Food and Beverage Sponsor: JR Barger and Sons, Flagship Sponsor: QuikServe Solutions, Hole Sponsors: Ascend Technology Group, Barger Properties, Beacon Hills, Creative Planning, Eagle Mortgage, Feltz WealthPLAN, Gregg Young Chevrolet, Janet and Jerry Slusky, John and Vanita Lund, Moehn Electrical Sales Co, Nationwide Transportation, Pando Peo, Pauli’s, Randy and Lori Oertwich, Sid and Sara Meridith, The Bull and The Bear, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, TR Financial/Monte Peterson, Western Oil/Speedeemart
Event Summary: The 4th Annual Swing for the Spectrum benefiting Autism Action Partnership was a wonderful success thanks to our co-chairs, Jill and Jimmy Barger and Lisa and Mike Meridith, our presenting sponsor: SEi, and many generous sponsors and golfers. Our 120 golfers began at noon with a four-person Texas Scramble, enjoying the course at Shadow Ridge. Following golf, attendees were invited to a brief reception with food, drinks and awards.
AAP GUILD MEMBERS KIM HOLZAPFEL AND KATY MENOUSEK
PROSPER ACADEMY STUDENTS: JENSEN CURTISS, EMMA CHRISTIAN
JOHN LUND, VANITA LUND, SARA MERIDITH, SID MERIDITH
FOOD & BEVERAGE SPONSORS, JR BARGER & SONS: BRIAN, ZAC, CHIG, JAMES, SR, BERT, BARRY, AND JIMMY BARGER
GAIL WERNER-ROBERTSON AND SCOTT ROBERTSON
TIM DOWD, PAUL MOORE, JP RAYNOR, CLINT SEEMANN, DREW GOALEY
PRESENTING SPONSORS, SEI: MIKE MERIDITH, JEREMY, WINN, MAT VELLECK, BRAD PEAL
ANGIE MOORE, MICHELLE KANKOUSKY, CHERYL EISELE, KELLY RAYNOR
PHOTOS BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN
30 Years of Service Celebrated Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center:
Name Of Organization: Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center
Event Name: 2024 Winter Gala
When: February 10, 2024
Where: Mid-America Center
Why: The annual winter gala is Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center’s largest fundraising event of the year. Proceeds will benefit the 2024 operating budget.
Attendance: 175
About: Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center provides emotional, mental health and practical support services at no charge for those on the cancer journey in the metro and throughout southwest Iowa.
For more information: (712) 325-8970 or www.wingsofhope.org
Event Summary: Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center kicked off its 30th anniversary of service to the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro and southwest Iowa February 10 at its 2024 Winter Gala. The evening focused on celebrating the three-decade milestone and those who helped make it possible.
2024 Winter Gala
A Night To Remember Partnership 4 Kids: Hops & Grapes
Name Of Organization: Partnership 4 Kids
Event Name: Hops & Grapes
When: April 26, 2024
Where: A View On State
Why: P4K's mission is to support the educational journey of over 2,200 pre-kindergarten through postsecondary students. By attending our unique event featuring unlimited tastings of local brews, spirits, Napa wines, and delectable food, as well as exploring extraordinary auction and raffle packages, guests contribute directly to our mission of keeping young people engaged in school, graduating, and pursuing postsecondary education.
Special Guests: P4K honored Dr. Gail Walling Yanney, Ms. Carol Russell and Dr. Ward Chambers, M.D with the Spirit of P4K award as they have shown determination, commitment and support for our students for many years. Our chairs—their children—stepped up to help us pass the torch of P4K to the next generation of champions. We cannot thank them enough for all they have done to make our 35th anniversary, and the celebrations along the way, successful.
Multimedia Rentals By: Sonburst Communications
Amount Raised: $200,000
For More Information: (402) 930-3000, www.p4k.org
GAIL HUNTER WAS PRESENTED WITH THE 2024 LARRY HILL MEMORIAL AWARD; ALSO PICTURED ARE CAROLYN ETTINGER (LEFT) AND PATTI HIGGINBOTHAM
DR. SUMIT MUKHERGEE WON THE RAFFLE FOR A SIGNED TRAVIS KELCE JERSEY; ALSO PICTURED IS DONNA SCHOEPPNER
LISA GRONSTAL AND JENNY VANSOELEN LED THE "QUEEN OF HEARTS" FUNDRAISING GAME AT THE GALA
ATTENDEES WERE ENCOURAGED TO WEAR RED AND PEARLS, THE GEM ASSOCIATED WITH A 30TH ANNIVERSARY
STEVE WADE, MARY BETH WADE, DAMIEN CORAN AND FRIENDS
JOHNNY RODGERS WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY
PHOTOS BY ROGER HUMPHRIES
A Touch of Wine Country
Stephen Center: vinNEBRASKA Wine Tasting & Grand Auction
Name Of Organization: Stephen Center
Event Name: vinNEBRASKA Wine Tasting & Grand Auction
When: April 6, 2024
Where: Omaha Marriott Capitol District
Why: Proceeds directly benefit Omaha’s most vulnerable individuals through three distinct programs: Pettigrew Emergency Shelter, Permanent Supportive Housing apartments and the HERO Addiction Recovery program. Stephen Center serves 250 daily, 7 days a week.
Special Guests: Honorary Vinter: Smith-Madrone
Catered By: Marriott
Event Planner: Stephen Center Guild & vinNEBRASKA Foundation
Attendance: 650 organizations and individuals supported the event
Amount Raised: $320,000
For more information: (402) 731-0238 or www.stephencenter.org
10th Annual Spring Fundraiser
Santa Monica, Inc.: Annual Spring Fling Fundraiser
Name Of Organization: Santa Monica, Inc.
Event Name: Annual Spring Fling Fundraiser
When: April 20, 2024
Where: The Diamond Room
Why: Annual fundraiser to support Santa Monica’s mission
Catered By: Abraham Catering
Attendance: 320
Amount Raised: $30,000
Mission: Provide a continuum of care that empowers women to live productively drugand alcohol-free.
About: Since 1972, Santa Monica has provided a place for women to recover. Today Santa Monica has expanded into a full continuum of care allowing women to access all needed services under one umbrella. With four locations and six programs we are able to partner with women from start to independence during their journey.
For more information: (402) 558-7088 or www.santamonicahouse.org
Sponsors: The Durham Foundation, Uptown Staffing, Stable Gray, Wyatt’s Torch Life Coaching
ASHLEY CHERNISS, BETH ELLIS, PAM HESSION, ANNE JETTER, TERI CORCORAN
EVENT CHAIRS HALLIE TALLEY & ANGELA LANGENFELD, BETH ELLIS (CENTER)
LIVE AUCTION SPOTTERS
GUEST SPEAKER ROBERT WILSON, STEPHEN CENTER FOOD SERVICE DIRECTOR
HOSTS DECORATE THEIR TABLES IN
ONE OF THE MANY AMAZING DECORATED TABLES
PHOTOS
PHOTOS BY SOARIN GROUP
Ethics and AI
Business Ethics Alliance: Winter Executive Ethics Breakfast
Name Of Organization: Business Ethics Alliance
Event Name: Winter Executive Ethics Breakfast
When: February 22, 2024
Where: Scott Conference Center
Why: The Winter Executive Ethics Breakfast Kicks Off the Business Ethics Alliance’s Signature Events Series
Attendance: 100
Mission: We build leadership, strengthen organizations, and elevate Greater Omaha through positive, practical business ethics education.
About: Founded in 2008, everything the Business Ethics Alliance does promotes an environment where the discussion and practice of positive, practical business ethics are encouraged and expected in our local community. Because organizational leaders trust the Alliance, we are able to create forums to have conversations that no one else in the community can have. The Alliance’s brand of ethics education is impartial, research-based, and respectful. For more information: (402) 280-3394 or www.businessethicsalliance.org
Honoring Local Heroes
American Red Cross: 2024 Heroes in the Heartland
Name Of Organization: American Red Cross
Event Name: 2024 Heroes in the Heartland
When: March 5, 2024
Where: Virtual, event video at: https://e. givesmart.com/events/yZ0/page/NEHeroesLive/ Why: Celebrate ordinary citizens who do extraordinary things.
Attendance: 250
Amount Raised: more than $157,000
Mission: The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
About: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information: redcross.org
PATRICIA KEARNS, THE ALLIANCE'S TRUSTEE CHAIR, AND RUTHIE BARKO SHARE SOME TECH TALK
DR. ANNMARIE MARLIER LISTENS TO PANEL RESPONSES AS SHE FACILITATES THE SESSION
THE SCOTT CONFERENCE CENTER MAIN AREA WAS PACKED WITH 100 PEOPLE SHOWING SUPPORT FOR BUILDING ETHICAL COMMUNITIES IN OMAHA
CJ BRACCIA FROM THE ALLIANCE STAFF LISTENS AS BLAKE MARTIN ASKS A QUESTION OF THE PANEL
HEROES IN THE HEARTLAND VIRTUAL PROGRAM EMCEE SERESE COLE OF WOWT
EMCEE SERESE COLE AND RED CROSS BOARDS OF DIRECTOR CHAIRS KARLY SINDELAR AND AMY OLSON
2024 HEROES IN THE HEARTLAND RECIPIENTS AT THE MEET THE HEROES RECEPTION
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMERICAN RED CROSS
