Events

We will not have a regular meeting at Biaggi's today. Instead, we will serve lunch to Veterans at Freedom Foundation located at 4001 Center Point Road NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402.

Please arrive at 11:30 am. We start serving at 11:45 and are done serving at 12:15. We then clean up afterwards and should be completely done by 1 pm.

Sarah Blais graduated from Grinnell College with Bachelors degrees in Art History and Anthropology. She attended Georgetown University to earn her Masters in Museum Studies. She studied Arts Business at
the Sotheby's Institute in London and started her career at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library as a Museum Educator. In her time at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, she went on to oversee the department of Outreach and Innovation. After four years in this role, she moved on to NewBo City Market where she works to support their mission of fostering regional economic development by uplifting entrepreneurs and artists. As a part of the leadership team, Sarah helps oversee all aspects of Market fundraising, staff operations, and community partnerships.

Scott Drzycimski is Director of Public Affairs for ITC Midwest and has been working in utilities for nearly more than 20 years – including nearly two decades with Alliant Energy. Earlier in his career, Scott was a meteorologist – including a number of years working at KCRG-TV.

Scott is a Cedar Rapids native, life-long Iowa resident and graduate of Iowa State University.

His wife Laura is a middle school music teacher at Trinity Lutheran School in Cedar Rapids. They have two kids – Ben, a sophomore in Music Education at Iowa State University and Faith, a sophomore at Jefferson High School.

Scott is a long-time member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board in Linn County and a trustee for the Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation.

Sam Blatt is the Director of Development and Public Relations at Riverview Center, where they work to support survivors and promote healing within the community. Graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in 2014 with a degree in Political Science, Sam brought nearly a decade of experience in politics—from local to national levels—before joining Riverview Center in 2023. Their work now focuses on  building/accessing funding for providing trauma-informed services and collaborating with local partners to enhance community outreach and survivor empowerment. Sam’s dedication to advocacy exemplifies Riverview Center’s mission to foster a safer, more supportive community for all.  

We will have a social/collection drive at 3 pm at Black Sheep Social Club (located downtown at 600 1st Street SE Cedar Rapids, IA). The collection drive will be for items requested for Riverview Center's pantry! Requested items will be shared soon.

LifeServe Blood Center is the new sole provider of blood for UnityPoint Health—St. Luke’s since June 1, 2024. They are excited to build local connections to help support this new partnership.

Keirra McFadden graduated from Iowa State University with Bachelors degrees in Public Relations and Political Science. She quickly started working for LifeServe Blood Center after she graduated as a phlebotomist but this past spring she transitioned into her dream job of being a territory representative. In this new role, Keirra oversees all the blood drives, events, and outreach in East Iowa for LifeServe Blood Center. She is excited to introduce LifeServe to Cedar Rapids as the new sole provider of blood for UnityPoint Health—St. Luke’s Hospital and to start building local connections to help support the new partnership.

Location: McGrath Amphitheatre
Time: 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM
475 1st St SW
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Contact Tara if interested! Can volunteer in shifts if not available for the whole night. 

Dean Houdeshell is a results-driven executive leader with over 30 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing. He has successfully led plant startups, turnarounds, and operational excellence initiatives, consistently fostering strong relationships and improving engagement across teams. Dean’s diverse background includes engineering, corporate leadership, sales, and customer-facing roles, where he has delivered client-focused solutions.

As a licensed professional engineer and a John Maxwell certified speaker, trainer, and coach, Dean now channels his expertise through Innovative Coaching Strategies. He helps businesses and individuals unlock their full potential by offering Vision workshops, retreats, sales training, and personalized coaching to drive clarity, strategic results, and high-performance cultures. In addition to his professional skills, Dean is a professional balloon artist, adding a unique and memorable experience to his presentations.

John Myers has been executive director of Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa since May 2013. Working with the organization's board of directors, john leads the strategic planning and growth of the organization ensuring that its vision to create champions of nature is achieved. He has led the organization's growth in design and construction of Amazing Space, reinvention of programming, and more than doubling the staff size, the annual budget, and the land the organization owns. John has a bachelor's of science degree in business administration and is an Eagle Scout. John and his wife, Meridith, reside in Marion, Iowa with their three children.

Karla Twedt-Ball has served the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation for 17 years, assuming the role of President & CEO in 2023. Karla’s career has been defined by fostering connected communities through cultivating relationships, supporting healthy community systems that work for everyone, and nurturing collaborative community efforts. Karla loves the role of community foundations in helping communities flourish. Karla is on the board of the Funders Network, a national philanthropic serving organization. She recently served on the Iowa Council of Foundations Board of Directors. Karla just finished teaching a graduate class on management and strategic planning for the School of Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Iowa. In her free time, Karla loves spending time with friends and family, especially with her husband Clint and her two adult children, Isaac and Annika.

Marie Hassel – ChildServe Director of Eastern Iowa

Marie Hassel is a native of the Midwest and grew up in Rockford, Illinois. She attended Northern Illinois University and the University of Phoenix, graduating with a degree in Health Care Administration. Her non-profit career began in Federally Qualified Health Centers in 2000. She spent 12 years with Community Health Care, Inc. in Davenport as the Director of Quality and Ancillary Services. She spent 5 years with Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center in Waianae, Hawaii as the Director of Quality and Director of Operations. She joined ChildServe in June of 2017 and serves as the Director of Eastern Iowa. She is a board member of Unity Point-Robert Young Center, in Rock Island, Illinois; the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services in Davenport, and Empower House-A Brain Injury Club House of the Quad Cities. Marie and her family live in Le Claire.

Fun Fact:  Robin Zander from Cheap Trick kissed Marie on the cheek when she was 10 years old and she didn’t wash her face for a week. 

 Sara Volz – ChildServe Director of Development

Sara Volz is the Regional Director of Development and is responsible for pursuing major gift opportunities, fundraising, and supporting community engagement in all our regional areas. Sara grew up in Davenport and attended the University of Iowa, where she graduated with an English and business degree and a minor in political science. Sara has previously worked in fundraising roles at the University of Iowa Center for Advancement for the Ophthalmology Department, focused on healthcare philanthropy, and as the Director of Development and Marketing at the Figge Art Museum. She lives in Tiffin, Iowa, with her two boys, Mitchell and Trevor, and their dogs, Thor and Izzy.

Fun fact: Sara enjoys traveling the Midwest to check out all the bike trails.

Join us for a social at Zeppelin's!

Justin is a proud Cedar Rapidian with a strong track record of success in education. He was born and raised in the Cedar Rapids community and is currently bringing up his family here. Justin has 15 years of educational experience in schools and districts across the country, including Houston, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids. His seven years of school and district-level leadership in Cedar Rapids includes serving as the Principal of Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy. Justin is an advocate for college and career preparation, and focuses on setting students up for success in high school and beyond

Here is a link to our site: Homepage - Cedar Rapids Prep

Jessie Lobb is a prevention specialist with the Area Substance Abuse Council (ASAC), a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing substance use and problem gambling prevention, treatment, and recovery services throughout eastern Iowa.

A proud Quad Cities native, Jessie earned her bachelor's degree in public health from Augustana College and went on to pursue her Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology, biosecurity and disaster preparedness at St. Louis University. She officially began her public health career earlier this year at ASAC, where she focuses primarily on opioid education and works to raise community awareness about the growing crisis surrounding fentanyl, prescription opioid misuse, and counterfeit pills. In her free time, Jessie enjoys woodcarving and spending quiet evenings at home with her two cats, Tally and Teddy.

Join us at 11:30 on Friday March 21st to package meals for Take Away Hunger! The event will take place at Metro Catholic Outreach Food Pantry at 420 6th Street SE Suite 120 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Please be sure to sign up or let Tara know if you are going to volunteer as lunch will be provided to volunteers.

VolunteerSignup - Online volunteer signup sheets - Take Away Hunger signup sheet

Leslie Schwarting is a full-time spiritual director and retreat facilitator at Prairiewoods. As a wife, mother of three adult women and former hospital executive, Leslie's journey has led her to profound joy in serving this ministry. Her extensive corporate background, which includes leading large teams, strategic planning, project management and business development, as well as her spiritual direction training, have uniquely prepared her for this role. She finds great fulfillment in supporting others as they seek to deepen their connection to the Divine, themselves and others, and is deeply empathetic to their personal and spiritual growth. 

Dana Franck is the Director of Eastern Iowa for Variety -The Children’s Charity where they are dedicated to improving the lives of children who are at-risk, underprivileged, critically ill or children living with special needs. 

She is married to Jamie Franck; they have one daughter, son-in-law and were blessed this past fall with a grandson.

Dana was exposed to Variety back in 1990 where her and her husband,  volunteered their time for the Telethon. Dana is one of seven employees for Variety in the State of Iowa, they are advocates for the kids within their communities. 

Variety gives a substantial amount of funds, pieces of equipment, vans and or inclusive playgrounds to local charities, our community,  who assist children who are in need.

It is Dana’s hopes to share the Variety story to friends like you, in return you will help grow Variety’s brand right here in the Eastern Iowa Region. The more companies or individuals that support Variety-The Children’s Charity of Iowa the more kids we will be able to impact right here in our area.