OF
DISTINCTION 2017
HONORING THE WOMEN WHO SERVE THE COMMUNITIES OF SARPY COUNTY
DORIS URWIN BELLEVUE
DEE ISKE PAPILLION
CONNIE MANZER SPRINGFIELD
ANGIE LAURITSEN GRETNA
ROSE BARCAL LA VISTA
STAFF SGT. DESTINIE WHITE OFFUTT AFB
DEB GERCH RALSTON
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Community-minded Honoring those who make a difference
DEE ISKE
This year’s Women of Distinction are pillars in their communities, actively taking part and leading to make a difference. Their passion drove them to step in and make a difference. We introduce you to them here.
ANGIE LAURITSEN
Papillion Dee Iske is all about helping others. The retired nurse has been volunteering at St. Columbkille Parish for years. President of the parish women’s guild, Dee has volunteered for countless activities and roles at the church.
ROSE BARCAL
La Vista Librarians have to be on their toes and keep up with an ever-changing world full of social media updates. Making a connection with people and helping them get what they need is what Rose Barcal really enjoys.
DEB GERCH
Ralston Helping others was a lesson that Deb Gerch learned at a young age from her mother. In small ways, and big, she strives to always give back to those in need.
Gretna The city council member and her family have lived in Gretna for only six years, but Angie Lauritsen has had a big impact in that time. After opening a bakery, she got active in the Gretna Chamber of Commerce. She also jumped in and volunteered with the school bond campaign.
CONNIE MANZER
Springfield Following the example set long ago by her grandparents, the director at the Springfield Memorial Library has a long history of giving back to her community. Connie Manzer has lead the library to national recognition.
DORIS URWIN
Bellevue Reluctant to move to Bellevue more than two decades ago, Doris Urwin fully embraced the city. A pillar at the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce for the past 20 years, she has been integral in many community events and the promotion of the business community.
STAFF SGT. DESTINIE WHITE
Offutt AFB The staff sergeant stationed at Offutt Air Force Base was a new mom when she saw a need for better and more information for breastfeeding new mothers. Active duty mothers face special challenges when it comes to breastfeeding, so she launched a group on Facebook aimed at moms who serve at Offutt.
Congratulations to everyone recognized and a special thank you to Doris Urwin for all of her help over the years.
Women of Distinction 2017 • Dee Iske • Angie Lauritsen
• Staff Sgt. Destinie White
• Connie Manzer • Rose Barcal
• Deb Gerch • Doris Urwin
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Helping others more than second nature By Eric Taylor Staff Writer Rose Barcal knows all about helping people and she has more than 30 years of experience to prove it. Since 1986, Barcal has been working in libraries at colleges, hospitals and for the past 16 years as the director of the La Vista Public Library. But no matter where she’s been or what capacity she’s served in, her job all boils down to one basic element. “It’s about helping people,” Barcal said. “It’s satisfying when people come in here looking for something and you make that connection with them. I love the stories of being able to help people.” Barcal’s love for libraries dates back to Hastings College where she began working in the campus li-
brary. “The dean of women students got me interested and I fell in love with it,” she said. Barcal’s career path would lead her several places in the coming years, but it always revolved around a library. She would eventually land the director job in La Vista in 2001. Over the years, the librarian profession has seen many changes. The internet and social media have created many new avenues for libraries to travel, something Barcal said has been critical for their survival. “Libraries were known for being stagnant, but we can’t stay the same,” she said. “We have to change every day and make the job more productive.” Technology changes almost daily, and different
PHOTO BY ERIC TAYLOR
Rose Barcal has served as the director of the La Vista Public Library since 2001. generations adopt new technology in different ways. “Kids show no fear when it comes to new things,” Barcal said. “But we can help them learn with mom and dad or
grandpa and grandma. “We had a man come in here one day wanting to learn about eBay. We had a staff member sit down with him and help him with it.” As director, Barcal has
overseen many continued developments within the library, including dozens of programs to help preschoolers to senior citizens. “We use to be a book warehouse, but people aren’t just in here looking for books,” she said. “People come in here for different reasons and we need to figure out what they’re looking for. “What makes us exist is that we might not have everything, but we will have something for you. It’s why libraries will always be here.” Barcal’s belief in helping people extends beyond the walls of the library. She helps with the TeamMates program as well as serving on a variety of boards involving the library. And around Christmas, you will find Barcal help-
ing her husband, La Vista Police Captain D.J. Barcal, picking out gifts for children as part of LVPD’s Shop with a Cop. “With D.J., I see how police have a life of servitude,” she said. “It’s just a different aspect to participate and help people. “I believe strongly in supporting the community. The city has been so supportive to me, giving back to them is key to me.” Being a librarian is what Barcal is all about and she has no plans on that changing anytime soon. “My heart has always been here,” Barcal said. “As long as I can be productive and continue to help and mentor people, I hope I’m here a long time. “It’s a great profession.”
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Giving back was lesson learned as child By Ashley Quintela Staff Writer Money was tight growing up, but that did not stop Deb Gerch from learning the importance of giving to others. “My mom taught my sister Tammy Vala and I to always help, give and to do everything you can for others,” Gerch said. Gerch grew up in West Point, Nebraska, and moved to Ralston after marrying Dave Gerch. They have two sons, Zach, 24, and Michael, 14. She fell in love with not only the city, but the sense of community the people of Ralston share. “I love Ralston,” Gerch said. “This community and the love. Anytime there’s a need we all pull together as one.”
For the past 23 years, Gerch has worked at the Applewood Hy-Vee where she is currently the human resources manager. Her passion for her people and her community led her to the Ralston Board of Education. She has been a secretary on the board for four years. “I want to help every student who is in need,” Gerch said. Gerch’s mission to help every student also extends to teachers. “I want to help every teacher that needs it because they are the ones who make a difference in every student,” she said. Like Gerch’s mother did for her and her sister, Gerch instilled the spirit of giving into her children. Gerch played a key role
PHOTO BY ASHLEY QUINTELA
Deb Gerch has worked at the Applewood Hy-Vee for 23 years and is on the Ralston Board of Education. in Michael’s baseball team when it came to community service. She knew the team would growth athletically, but that was not the only area she wanted them to
grow in. On a hot summer day, when the team was teaching special needs students how to play baseball, she noticed a student wearing winter gloves because
he did not have a baseball glove of his own. “My heart tugged when a kid wanted to play baseball and he wore his winter gloves,” she said. After that, she donated baseball equipment to those who needed it. Another special memory for Gerch is when the team helped out at the student-run food pantry at Ralston High School. “They were carrying out groceries in the cold,” she said. “They were happy to do it.” Gerch is proud of what her team does, especially when it comes to serving the community. “The kids just gave love,” she said. “That was my whole mission. The best part of that is what the kids got out of it, not me. The kids still talk
about that and how they gave back.” When Gerch found out she was nominated for Women of Distinction, she couldn’t believe it. “I was totally shocked. I think about all the great people especially in our community that do so much for so many people,” Gerch said. “I did a double take. ‘You sure it’s Deb?’ I said.” Despite her already commendable acts in the community, she still feels she has a lot more to accomplish. “I’m very humbled about it. I’m very honored about it. I don’t do it because of the recognition, I do it because that’s the way my heart is,” she said. “That’s something my mom taught me.”
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Parish volunteer always ready to jump in By Rachel George Staff Writer For more than 50 years, Dee Iske has been a key player when it comes to volunteering and outreach at St. Columbkille Catholic Parish in Papillion. She and her husband of 51 years, Ron, joined the parish together and Iske got involved slowly, helping with small tasks like getting the votive candles or flowers needed for services and ceremonies. When the couple had children, and those children came of a certain age, Iske would drop off the two boys at St. Columbkille for religious education while she sat outside in the parking lot and waited for them to be finished. One day, the religious
education administrator approached Iske, asking her to teach a class rather than waiting in her car. “I said, ‘Well, I’ve never done anything like that, I’m a nurse not a teacher,’” said Iske, who worked for 41 years as a registered nurse at the Nebraska Medical Center, spending 25 of those years in the emergency room before she retired in 2012. Iske accepted the challenge and for more than 25 year shared her faith with children at the parish. Eventually, Iske found it was time to move on from teaching. Her involvement had taken her elsewhere, particularly the parish’s Women’s Guild. “You get involved with one thing, there’s always somebody waiting at the door to bring you to some-
PHOTO BY RACHEL GEORGE
Dee Iske has been volunteering at Saint Columbkille Catholic Parish since joining the church with her husband more than 50 years ago. thing else,” Iske said. “You do what you can to help at the time.” Through the Women’s Guild, Iske has organized funeral lunches, bake
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“They’re die-hard people,” Iske said of fellow guild members. “They’re there to lend a helping hand no matter what I suggest. It’s so rewarding because the people are all so thankful.” A life’s work of giving back, Iske said her involvement with the parish began with a drive to want to be involved with something. “Getting involved with this parish, which I was so familiar with, was a no-brainer, and the Women’s Guild did stuff I was actually interested in,” she said. “To me, it’s so fun cooking in big quantities and feeding people. People will always come and eat.” Nominated by St. Columbkille parish, Iske is said to have an “I can
help” attitude, having “consistently been lending a hand whenever it’s been needed in her everyday life.” A wife, mother of two and grandmother of one, Iske is also involved with St. Columbkille’s community outreach group as well as the parish’s fall festival committee. “One thing led to another and it’s still leading to one another,” Iske said. “There’s so many people around here that do the same thing. I think that’s what makes this place tick. “I hope I never get too old or debilitated to do something here. Knowing you’re helping someone else down the line and being a part of something bigger, helping those around you who need it.”
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From business owner to city council By Susan Skinner Staff Writer Since moving to Gretna six years ago, Angie Lauritsen has made serving the community a top priority. “Life is so short, we should each wake up every day and ask how we can give back to our community,” Lauritsen said. The bright blue HomeTown Heroes banners flying along the Highway 370 corridor to honor Gretna’s veterans and service members reflect her commitment spirit. The project got off the ground this summer after the Marine mom and city council member had spent months working to get the display in Gretna after learning about similar programs elsewhere. She and a small committee
worked with local, county and state officials as well as with Omaha Public Power District to make the program a reality. “HomeTown Heroes just seemed like the right thing to do,” Lauritsen said. “We have a huge veteran population here, and we should shine a light on that.” During the summer months, banners that feature the service member or veteran’s name, photo, branch of service and era of service are flown on utility poles in the city. The program also has a designated fund agreement with the Gretna Community Foundation, for the costs involved as well as other veterans projects. Lauritsen has been involved with community projects since she and her
family arrived in Gretna. Her interactions with Gretna Public Schools enrolling her children were so positive that she soon found herself working with the Kids Committee in support of the 2012 bond issue and still volunteers her time today. When she and her family moved to Gretna, Lauritsen also brought her bakery business, Delectables. In an effort to meet other small business owners and do some networking, she started going to Gretna Area Chamber of Commerce meetings and soon became a board member. She often donated items to local fundraisers, and while doing so came to know the community better. “Through these fundraisers, I started to see
everyone’s willingness to support each other. Gretna had a small town community feel and a genuine willingness to help each other out,” Lauritsen said. As she learned more about the business community while she searched for a storefront for her business, she organized a business development committee for the chamber that worked with city officials. Out of this role, she began to attend City Council meetings and came to believe there was more that needed to be done. “I realized a voice wasn’t being heard, not everyone was part of the discussion,” Lauritsen said. “I started to ask more ‘why’ questions.” After what she termed ‘a lot of persuasion,’ much
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on the part of Sarpy County Commission member Jim Warren, Lauritsen ran unopposed and won a seat on the Gretna City Council in November 2016. Lauritsen currently is participating in the Leadership Sarpy program, where she already is learning much about how others perceive Gretna. She hopes to let them see the strengths and potential of the community. “When they’re looking in from the outside, you want it to be the best view,” Lauritsen said.
Angie Lauritsen founded the Gretna Hometown Heroes program in 2017. The City Council member is also active member of the Gretna Area Chamber of Commerce. PHOTO BY SUSAN SKINNER
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Being a librarian means filling many roles By Brody Hilgenkamp Staff Writer When Connie Manzer’s paternal grandparents came to the United States from Mexico they were so grateful for the opportunity to be in the country they felt they had to give back. They lived such a life of service that the priest at her grandmother’s funeral made an exception and praised her for her willingness to volunteer, even though the archdiocese had a policy against it. “That always stuck with me,” Manzer said. Manzer brings that same mindset to her job as the library director at Springfield Memorial Library, where she has been the director since 2004. Under her leadership the library was recognized as one of America’s Star
Libraries by Library Journal Index in each of the past four years, receiving three of five stars each year. Bring a librarian is much different than it was when she first started in 2001. With the advancement of technology, keeping track of books and accounts is as simple as making a few key strokes. That same technology, and what it has done for Americans’ pace of life, means library patrons and kids in particular want programs to be more interactive and engaging. That requires Manzer to be more creative and involved in the programs. Few people come in just to grab a book. “People think we just sit at the desk and check out books,” she said.
PHOTO BY BRODY HILGENKAMP
Connie Manzer learned the value of giving back and volunteering at an early age. The library offers programs for all ages, from storytimes for kids to knitting and crocheting classes for adults. There is also an after-school young writers workshop to help build creative writing skills and a book club. Manzer said the summer reading program is
one of the most popular programs during the year. Holiday crafts have always been a staple at the library and she also brings in speakers and offers nature walks. All that activity means the library isn’t a “quiet library,” Manzer said, which means she rarely
gives the sterotypical librarian shush, except for after school when kids come in and feel compelled to use all their unspent energy. Work behind the scenes keeps her plenty busy as well. As library director, Manzer is not only in charge of programming for the library, but also the upkeep of the building. If there is a problem with the lights, she has to call someone in to fix them. If the furnace breaks, it gets added to her to-do list. She even fills the role of custodian after parties at the library. Grant writing to help the library grow is also an important task that rarely draws public praise. One of the bigger grants was for a printer to help digitize local history photos.
Manzer said her favorite part of being a librarian was building relationships with the library visitors and members of the community. “Customer relations is a big part of the job,” she said. Before she was a librarian she worked as a paraprofessional at a preschool for 17 years until she saw an ad to be the library’s part-time assistant in 2001. She got the job and became director three years later. Faith is important to Manzer, who has always been heavily involved in the activities of St. Joseph Catholic Church. She was a long-time teacher of religious classes and currently she helps wherever she can, from being an usher to helping with the Nativity display during the holiday season.
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Cancer survivor has served Bellevue 20 years Doris Urwin never wanted to move to Bellevue. Having grown up in Preston, Iowa, Doris was devoted to the town of about 1,000. She’d spent 13 years as a little league coach and sold Girl Scout cookies to most everyone in the area. So, when Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, where her husband David worked, was bought by Union Pacific, Doris was devastated. Her family would need to move. While the move was initially hard, Doris said she now loves Bellevue. “I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I could call Bellevue my home,” Doris said. “When I moved here,
I was always going to go home. But now, 21 years later, I know that this is home.” After moving, she wanted to become engaged in the Bellevue community like she’d been in her hometown, so she applied to the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. “Taking this job was probably the best thing that ever happened to me because I have a passion for being involved and helping my community,” said Doris. She serves as the Chamber’s Vice President of Administration. In this role, she does everything from making sure the Chamber has office supplies to bookkeeping to organizing community events. She helped create Riverfest, the Veteran’s Parade, Women’s Wine and
PHOTO BY HAILEY STOLZE
Doris Urwin has worked for the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce for 20 years. Nine and the Avenue of Flags. Doris also focuses on business growth and retention. She said her small town showed her the impact just one business closing or opening can have on
families and population. Her dedication to Bellevue doesn’t stop after she goes home from work. She’s the Bellevue Public Safety Foundation vice president, volunteers for school functions and is a
member of the Bellevue Volunteer Firefighter Hall committee and Bellevue-Offutt Kiwanis Club. “Everybody has ideas, but if you don’t do anything to help bring those ideas to reality, it’s not going to happen,” Doris said. “Somebody’s gotta carry that ball, and it takes more than one somebody.” She’s also been a Girl Scout since she was 7 years old. Doris said scouting taught her to leave any place she goes in better shape than she found it. Doris also prioritizes family. She and husband David have four kids together: Chris, 40; Jeremy, 37; Brian, 36; and Nicole Gundersen, 23. Two of her nephews, Joshua Driscoll and Jared Urwin, also call her “mom.” Biologically speaking, she only has four grand-
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children. However, she considers Driscoll’s three children her grandchildren, as well. “My family is everything to me,” Urwin said. It was her family that, in large part, helped her through a stage four colon cancer diagnosis in January 2011. What also got her through it was her work at the Chamber. “This job was part of what kept me driven and going because I was able to come to work as sick as I was and still be able to help others,” Urwin said. “Besides my family, it gave me a reason to fight.” Cancer free since November 2011, Doris will be retiring next spring. After 21 years with the Chamber, she says she’s going to miss it immensely.
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Mother to one, responsible for many By Eugene Curtin Staff Writer Destinie White sat with a group of other mothers watching a board-certified lactation consultant field questions about breast feeding when she decided the information should be more widely available. White, a native of Sioux City, Iowa, is an Air Force staff sergeant stationed at Offutt Air Force Base. She was a new mother at the time and responsible for managing Tuskegee Hall, a dormitory residence for 114 incoming airmen. At age 25 years old she had become a substitute mom to more than a hundred 18-year-olds mostly untrained in the art of doing their own laundry. Between being a mom to her now-1-year-old
daughter, Claire, and troubleshooting for incoming airmen, White found the commitments that led to her nomination and subsequent honor as a 2017 Woman of Distinction. “Breastfeeding has been around a very long time, but it kind of went away for a long time as mothers turned to formula,” she said. “Now it seems to be coming back. There’s a lot of moms doing it now, but there’s still bad information being shared, sometimes by other moms who have been taught the wrong thing, or by doctors who aren’t keeping up,” she said. And so she created a members-only Facebook page, the Offutt Breastfeeding and Pumping Support Group, where support is offered to new
PHOTO BY EUGENE CURTIN
Staff Sgt. Destinie White created a Facebook group for Offutt mothers who are confronting the challenges of breastfeeding. mothers learning how to feed their newborns the natural way. The biggest issue breastfeeding mothers encounter, White said, is generating enough milk to satisfy an infant. Truth is, she said, it’s all about
supply and demand. The more consistently a mother nurses a child or pumps milk for storage, the more consistent the flow becomes. “You can drink gallons of Gatorade every day and it’s not necessarily going
to help increase your supply,” she said. “As long as you’re supplying consistently, the supply will be good.” The difficulties associated with breastfeeding are multiplied for active-duty military women who often have no opportunity to pump while deployed and nowhere to store the milk if they do. “Unless there’s some kind of support at your deployed location, it probably won’t work,” she said. “But even then there are moms who continue to pump and just dump the milk so as to keep the supply flowing.” These kinds of discussions are now freely available to Offutt personnel who join the group on Facebook. “There are breastfeed-
ing groups out there,” White said, “but I wanted to make one for Offutt, mostly targeting the military, because we have to breastfeed and pump while working and going on training missions.” Now seven years in the Air Force including four years managing residence halls at Offutt, White is advancing through her Air Force career with her husband, Dustyn, who is also a staff sergeant stationed at the base. The new recruits arriving on base are her other big cause. “We take care of them,” she said. “Most of them are 18 years old, and this is their first time away from home, so they need a little help with life skills.”
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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION
October 18, 2017
Who’s Missing?
_ _ VOL NTEE “Anyone Looking to serve in their community, consider becoming a CASA” - R.Sexson
I am for the child The child who lived in motels, cars and shelters. The child who now stands in the entryway of a group foster home. Clutching a makeshift suitcase. A garbage bag filled with everything she owns. That is the child I am for. And because I am, she will be half as likely to languish in foster care, and that much more likely to find a safe permanent home. I am a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.
I am
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