I am very blessed to be from a large family and being raised on a livestock and crops farm located 10 miles east of Des Moines. We cared for many things - fruit trees, grains and a range of two and four legged critters. It worked in no small measure because there were 12 of us, I have six sisters and three brothers, nurtured by two loving parents from the Greatest Generation who worked to impart their values that included generosity, resilience, duty and sacrifice, and hospitality. Elizabeth, my wife of 44 years, likes to mention to people that my father and mother’s names are Joseph and Mary.
We raised our five children in Lincoln, moving here from Kansas, 15 years after we met at Benedictine College in Atchison, Elizabeth’s home town. Her resume includes Mom, Grandmother, Labor and Delivery nurse, adjunct professor, and St. Teresa parish supporter. My earliest memory of Nebraska is of traipsing around the Omaha Stockyards with my father during his trips there to purchase feeder cattle from the Sandhills.
Prior to serving at CSS, I managed communications for the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association. I enjoyed those years, but have been especially blessed by the opportunity to be a member of the CSS team in Lincoln since 2020. My duties here primarily consist of serving clients through three outreach programs: financial assistance via the Family Support Services program, coordinating donations of furniture - both from donors and to individuals and families in need. Third, facilitating donations of vehicles to CSS and giving roadworthy ones to people in need, primarily residents of St. Gianna’s Women Home and refugees settled by CSS.
There are many things to like as a member of the team. One is the opportunity to work alongside staff and volunteers, young adults to seniors alike. My faith is nurtured every day from seeing them in action - hearts and hands of Jesus embracing people where they are and offering resources wrapped in compassion and encouragement.
Here, "Hope in the Good Life" is a living reality rooted in dignity, community, and Christ-like love. It is a safety net where families find housing, the hungry receive food, immigrants find welcome, and single mothers find safe harbor and guidance.
CSS turns abstract hope into concrete action. Every grocery box and utility payment declares that every individual matters. Witnessing God’s grace move through human hands turns despair into a future filled with promise.
My time at CSS has shown me that the "Good Life" is found in restoration rather than material wealth. True hope is sparked when we recognize a person's inherent, God-given value, providing the confidence that tomorrow can be better because a community shares the burden.
I am grateful for Katie Patrick and Dan Krick articulating a sentiment many of us share: "culture eats strategy for breakfast.” A great plan fails without shared habits and values, but CSS thrives because it has both a strong culture and clear strategy.
