Terry O'Brien Memorial Scholarship Raffle Winners

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who took part in this year’s Terry O’Brien Memorial Scholarship raffle. The contributions will go a long way in supporting a deserving graduate, and we are incredibly thankful for your generosity.

Below are the winners of a gift card to Hazard Beef

• $250 - Greg Chapek

• $250 - Stephanie Henn

• $100 - Judy Stukenholtz

• $100 - Carolyn Brigham

• $100 - Justin Semin

About the Terry O’Brien Memorial Scholarship

Terry O'Brien was a true icon in the Wahoo community and a founding force behind JEO Consulting Group. His legacy lives on through the Terry O'Brien Memorial Committee, a testament to his passion and dedication to giving back to the community he cared so deeply about.

One of the ways the Terry O'Brien Committee keeps Terry's giving spirit alive is through the Terry O'Brien Scholarship. This scholarship provides a $1,500 scholarship to a deserving graduate from Wahoo High School and Bishop Neumann High School, offering an excellent opportunity to support students on their educational journeys.

JEO Consulting Group’s Foundation and Omaha Parks and Recreation Come Together for a Park Clean-up

Parks play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life for communities, providing spaces for relaxation, recreation, and social interaction. Recognizing the importance of maintaining and preserving these valuable resources, JEO Consulting Group’s Foundation partnered with Omaha Parks and Recreation to conduct a park clean-up at Lamp Park.

Lamp Park, located in the heart of Omaha, holds a special place in the community. Its green spaces, playgrounds, ball fields, and walking trails offer a sanctuary for families, nature enthusiasts, and individuals seeking outdoor activities.

The clean-up activities included removing litter and debris, restoring the park’s natural beauty, and creating a safer space for everyone to enjoy.

Habitat for Humanity Build Day

Members from our Topeka, Kansas, and Lawrence, Kansas offices had the privilege of assisting with a Habitat for Humanity home build in Topeka. The crew started in crisp morning temps and assisted with backfilling the foundation, preparing roof sheeting for installation, installing joist hangers, and installing fascia boards.

Not only did the team physically help build the home, but our volunteer hours will also assist the family working toward owning this home with volunteer hours they are required to complete as part of the program.

We are so blessed to be part of an organization that doesn't just talk the talk but walks the walk when it comes to volunteering to make the world around us a better place!

Supporting SMASH Club Volleyball

The JEO Foundation recently supported SMASH Club Volleyball, a club created to better athletes in northeast Nebraska and benefit girls in grades fifth through eleventh. The dream for the club is to provide this advantage for years to come, developing a culture of greatness through this local opportunity.

SMASH Club Volleyball provides athletes with high-level technical skills training and tactical instruction in a positive learning environment that develops athletes of character, coaching lifelong skills, and instills a passion for the game in a positive environment. The club’s vision is that players will be allowed to learn the game of volleyball at the highest possible level while simultaneously learning the essential life lessons of teamwork, commitment, sportsmanship, and dependability.

SMASH had a great season filled with fun, friendship, improved skills, and fighting into gold tournament brackets. With the JEO Foundation’s generosity, the club is helping to build a brighter future for these young athletes.

CEDARS Home for Children

CEDARS Home for Children in Lincoln is a non-profit near and dear to Michael Bash’s heart. Bash knows a healthy family environment is fundamental to any child’s lifelong well-being, not only as the father of two young children but also as someone who has seen CEDARS’ work firsthand.

“Growing up, my family participated as a foster family to multiple kids through CEDARS,” said Bash, a JEO department leader based in Lincoln. “That experience was very impactful to me as it taught me gratitude for how fortunate I was for my personal family stability and support.”

In November 2020, CEDARS launched The Heart of CEDARS capital campaign to add more than 3,800 square feet to the non-profit’s emergency shelter, as well as to provide campus updates to better serve children and families using their facilities.

“CEDARS is a well-respected local non-profit organization that has existed for more than 70 years,” continued Bash. “The Heart of CEDARS campaign provided a great opportunity to leverage the JEO Foundation’s support for their facility improvements.” The JEO Foundation provided a $500 donation toward the campaign in early 2021.

CEDARS works to provide stable living environments to foster children and educational support and resources to families, serving more than 1,800 children and families last year. Services include providing safe places for children unable to live at home, supportive and inclusive early childhood opportunities, and youth intervention development programs, in addition to being the only emergency shelter for youth in Southeastern Nebraska.

For more information, visit cedarskids.org.

Wahoo Lake Wanahoo Cleanup

Since 1937, JEO Consulting Group has called Wahoo, Nebraska home. It is where we’ve cultivated our reputation for treating clients and employees like family, helping to celebrate milestones and achievements along the way. This held true in June 2021, as the JEO Foundation supported the City of Wahoo in preparing for their upcoming 150th anniversary celebration.  

Delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Wahoo celebrated their sesquicentennial with a full weekend of events, from a parade to bake sales and friendly competitions – all promoting the community’s comradery. To help Wahoo prepare for events at Lake Wanahoo, the JEO Foundation’s Terry O’Brien Committee scheduled a trash pickup event. More than 20 JEO employees and their family members attended the pickup, finding another way to connect outside of the office and give back to the community.

“Every entity in a community has a responsibility to help it thrive,” said Kathryn Goodpasture, JEO marketing coordinator and event volunteer. “I’m grateful to work at JEO where the betterment of communities is a high priority.”

The Terry O’Brien Committee was created as a part of the JEO Foundation to honor Terry O’Brien, one of the company’s founders. Terry was committed to making the City of Wahoo a better place, and the committee and associated fund was established to promote and benefit organizations within Wahoo. To learn more about Terry O’Brien and his efforts, click here.

Norris School District Trap Club

For the Meyers, trap shooting is a family affair. Jarred Meyer’s son has been part of the Norris School District Trap Club for two years, while Jarred and his wife have been active members of the team’s booster club. With help from a 2021 donation from the JEO Foundation, the trap club was able to purchase new team vests and offset training costs for volunteer safety officers.

The Norris School District Trap Club, located in southeast Nebraska, includes students from sixth through 12th grades and is one of only a few schools nationwide with a trap practice range on campus. As the sport’s popularity continues to grow at Norris, Meyer believes the sport will have a positive, lasting impact on all its participants, including his son.

“It provides another activity for students in sixth grade through senior year of high school to participate in and is a sport they will be able to participate in for life if they choose,” he said. “It also teaches the students respect for firearms, proper firearm safety and responsibility.”

Like most school sports, the 2020 season was cut short due to the pandemic. However, since a typical trap season runs from late winter to late spring, the Norris team was able to compete in a full season in 2021, closing out with the Cornhusker State Meet in Doniphan, Nebraska in May. The Junior Squads 1 and 2 taking first and second place, respectively, while the Senior Ladies team placed second in High Overall Score, 16yd and Handicap Scores.

Photo Credit: Elwood Photography

JEO Foundation Month of Giving 2020

Every holiday season for the past three years, the JEO Foundation has hosted the Month of Giving. The event provides each JEO Consulting Group office the opportunity to compete against each other and raise as many donations as possible for their respective communities.

With 2020 bringing about so many challenges, the JEO Foundation requested each office donate to a local food bank. The foundation would match 50 percent of funds raised or 100 percent of funds raised if the office’s goal was met. Overall, JEO employees raised more than $11,000 for 13 different food pantries across the U.S. with all offices reaching their donation goals.

The Month of Giving started as a way to fundraise for local charitable organizations, recognizing charities see an increase in needs during winter months and the holiday season. In previous years, the JEO Foundation has supported organizations including the Ronald McDonald House of Charities - Omaha, Wahoo VFW, and the Family Resource Center in Carroll, Iowa through these fundraising efforts. 

“What stands out the most about the Month of Giving is the geographical footprint and the number of organizations we’re able to assist during the holiday season,” said JEO Foundation Treasurer Elli Havelka. “The organizations are extremely grateful for the fundraising efforts.”

The foundation will continue to host the Month of Giving each November through December to assist the communities in which JEO employees work and live.

Stick Creek Kids Child Development Center

The Wood River community needed reliable childcare, and following three years of planning and fundraising efforts, the need has finally been met with the opening of Stick Creek Kids Child Development Center. Wood River resident and JEO Consulting Group Project Engineer Tyler Doane volunteered time and effort in establishing the new facility. Through personal donations from Tyler and his family, as well as contributions from the JEO Foundation and JEO Consulting Group, more than $10,000 was donated to Stick Creek Kids in support of the project. 

Since 2013, Doane has been a part of a local group called Wood River Vision 20/20, which seeks to improve Wood River now and for generations to come. Through the group’s outreach, they noticed a consistent comment was the lack of local childcare options in Wood River with only three in-home licensed providers (two have since retired). Doane had also experienced the concern firsthand, as he and his wife struggled to find childcare for their children.

The Wood River Vision 20/20 board members eventually decided to look into establishing a childcare facility on their own. Stick Creek Kids Child Development Center serves children from six weeks to 12 years old for full-day and after-school care, providing reprieve to Wood River parents.

“It’s a relief for a lot of parents in the area, including my family,” said Doane. “This whole project has been quite the journey and seeing kids at the center having a great time makes it all worth it.”

Stick Creek Kids opened their doors to their first students on May 3, 2021 with a mission “to create a nurturing environment for children where progressive learning stimulates growing hearts and minds.” To learn more about the facility, visit https://stickcreekkids.org/.

Live Well.Go Fish

Terry O’Brien liked to fish. He even had a second home on Green Lake in Minnesota that served as a getaway and was great for fishing. Joey Gregg and Dave Henke, members of the JEO Foundation’s Terry O’Brien Committee, decided to honor Terry as a volunteer with the Live Well.Go Fish organization. Joey and Dave worked a shift on the boat in June that assisted residents of South Haven Living Center in Wahoo. They assisted them by helping load and unload the boat, bait the hooks, take the fish off the hooks, drive the boat, and fly the American flag around Lake Wanahoo.

 The Live Well.Go Fish mission brings seniors, youth, veterans, and people with disabilities out of the confines of daily life to enjoy the freedom and therapeutic benefits of boating and fishing with new faces in outdoors places. For more information, you can visit their Facebook page here.

When Joey and Dave volunteered their time, they discussed future needs of volunteering with the organization. Dave Ruder said they can typically find volunteers, but financial contributions were harder to get. Recently, the Terry O’Brien Committee presented a $500 donation to the Live Well.Go Fish staff to help with some of the financial needs.