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You had to strain—hard—to hear the young woman from the Ollie Webb Center, Inc., an Omaha nonprofit for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. So soft-spoken and reserved, she was barely audible when she showed up for her first workshop with Opera Omaha’s Holland Community Opera Fellowship. Fast forward one […]
Angel Pacana’s type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2010 came as something of a surprise. A family history of the disease, combined with the onset of some troubling symptoms, prompted a doctor’s visit that revealed elevated blood sugar levels. For 10 years, Pacana struggled to manage the condition and its effects. […]
Darcy Swope, a Nebraska/Iowa Chapter Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCF) board member, has witnessed first-hand the impact inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can have on someone’s life. Her son, Riley, first experienced symptoms in high school but wasn’t diagnosed with ulcerative colitis until his freshman year of college. According to the […]
Gratitude, faith, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) helped Molly Billings, director of HR operations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE), through the loss of her mom in September of 2022. When her mom passed away, Billings immediately reached out to the EAP offered to BCBSNE employees. […]
Last winter, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was surging, filling hospitals and alarming heath authorities worldwide. Meanwhile, Jim Sanderson of Hastings, Nebraska, was hard at work pursuing his passion as a singer-songwriter. Sanderson crossed paths with COVID-19 in January 2022, and his condition turned severe. He was hospitalized at Hastings’ […]
After months of holiday treats and cups of cheer, many of us find ourselves setting ambitious health goals for the year ahead. A few might even see those goals survive until February. Caroline Kahnk makes a living helping colleagues keep their resolutions and enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. […]
Jenny Hemmer was always interested in health care. “For a while, I wanted to be a doctor,” she said. “I’m an empathetic personality. I like to help people.” That caring heart led her to fulfilling work as a nurse in Omaha for over ten years. But overnight shifts and unpredictable […]
People come from all walks of life with their own values, ethics, and traditions. In 2020, Air Force veteran Jay Miralles launched a powerful movement to raise awareness about the hardships that veterans face. With an initial idea to raise $2,500 for a military-based nonprofit, the question of how to […]
Ignite Nebraska began with the ending of a dream and the start of a new one. One night, Joni Wheeler awoke with an idea to solve a far-reaching problem: Many people who are active in the workforce are under-resourced and cannot achieve financial stability. Despite working full-time, they do not […]
Providing leadership opportunities for youth has long been recognized as an effective way to help develop character, build solid communications skills, and encourage personal growth. That’s been the Boys Town approach for more than 100 years. In fact, the Village of Boys Town has its own government system that was […]
