Kemper Rusteberg ’14 is always looking for ways to be of service to his community. Whether it’s volunteering through work, setting up service projects for Ambrosians in the Chicago area, or serving on St. Ambrose University’s Alumni Board, it’s important to him to give back. It also brings back memories of his time at SAU.
“The act of service always reminds me of other acts of service, and they compound on each other,” Rusteberg reflected. “It reminds me of the good old days that I had back as a student.”
Since graduating, Rusteberg has felt called to live out St. Ambrose’s core value of service.
In 2015, he organized his first volunteer opportunity for alumni and their families living in the Chicago area. In the years since, he organized visits to food depositories, homeless shelters, and food pantries. For the past three years, he’s partnered with the food packaging organization Feed My Starving Children for a day of service in Schaumburg, Ill.
The food packaging event – taking place this year on Saturday, Nov. 30 – falls during St. Ambrose’s Bee the Difference Month, an initiative encouraging Ambrosians across the world to live out that core value of service.
As a member of the Alumni Board, Rusteberg has worked to incorporate volunteer opportunities during Bee the Difference Month in other areas across the U.S., including the Quad Cities.
"This has been something that I've always advocated for since joining the Alumni Board in 2014. We have alumni spread around the country. Similar to how we do the Bee Happy Hours, we try and organize some sort of act of service in our own communities.”
Rusteberg wholeheartedly believes the draw to serve others is what connects all Ambrosians.
“I think it’s one of those values that just attracts people to Ambrose to begin with,” Rusteberg said. “Giving back to others is the core of who a Bee is. The amount of joy that you get out of giving, you’re able to receive back in ten-fold.”
Alumni and their families living in the Chicago area are invited to participate in this year’s food packaging event on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 9-11 a.m. You can register here. Current students home for the Thanksgiving holiday are also invited to participate.
Alumni living in the Quad Cities area have two service opportunities this month. Please contact Jen Walker, jenboyle1818@gmail.com, with any questions:
- Saturday, Nov. 16, 10 a.m. at Vander Veer Conservatory (215 W Central Park Ave, Davenport, IA)
Join us for an indoor event where we'll wash plant pots for reuse in growing seedlings over the winter. The space is heated, but you might get wet, so bringing a waterproof apron or rubber gloves is helpful. The City will provide some supplies as well.
- Saturday, Nov. 23, time TBD at Frances Willard Elementary (2503 9th St, Rock Island, IL)
Clean the stage, set up winter program decorations, additional cleaning.
