Hoffman-Zinnel Named CEO Beste Named CFO Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel has been named chief executive officer of Proteus, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving immigrant, underserved and low income populations in Iowa, Nebraska and Indiana. Hoffman-Zinnel has more than a decade of nonprofit experience and worked at Proteus from 2007 to 2014 as a career development coordinator […]
Darlene Waltemeyer has had adversity in her life, yet she hasn’t let it slow her down. With the help of Proteus she is working on her two year degree with the ultimate goal of a four year degree in criminal justice. Growing up in foster care, Darlene became interested in the criminal justice system and wants to help others who have gone through the same trials she has. She became homeless after turning 18, and wasn’t making enough to support herself while she attended school.
Shane Houke was in transition when he was referred to Proteus. After serving time for past mistakes, Shane was ready to get his life back on track. He had a young family to support so finding the motivation wasn’t an issue; needing help looking for a career was a different story. Having spent a fair amount of time working for a grain farmer the summer prior to his sentence, Shane sought out Proteus to see if he would qualify for the National Farmworker Jobs Program.
Kory Fettkether had spent years as a farmworker doing a variety of tasks associated with raising crops and livestock on a farm near Sherrill, Iowa. While he loved the work, his pay at $8 an hour wasn’t enough to support the life Kory wished for. Knowing a change was needed, he looked into attending a diesel technology program at Northern Iowa Community College in Peosta. Having worked on and with diesel engines on the farm, Kory found he had a knack and interest with this equipment.
People take many things for granted, especially those things and events that occur daily: clean drinking water, lights when it gets dark, heat when it’s cold, soap for personal hygiene and to clean clothes, and the fruits and vegetables that we eat.
Working toward her goal to attend college, Mary Sackreiter worked on a beef farm near Riceville, Iowa. Her duties were primarily working with the calving operation, earning $10 an hour. Her experience confirmed her interest in pursuing a career in agriculture and she enrolled at Northern Iowa Community College in Calmar, Iowa. While attending classes for her agricultural business major, Mary encountered financial struggles. She worked when she could, traveling back to Riceville, but she was having difficulty balancing work and student life.
After being enrolled in school for some time, Hunter knew that something had to change. He was taking courses at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa, pursuing a degree in electrical technology.
Multicultural Efforts to End Sexual Assault, known as MESA, is a statewide program committed to preventing sexual violence in multicultural communities and other underserved and underrepresented populations in Indiana. MESA has been providing sexual violence prevention education to migrant and seasonal farmworkers since 2003.
There are many milestones in our lives. First steps, first birthdays and the first day of school. Some events we don’t remember very well because we were too young. However, there are some, “firsts,” we do remember because we felt the emotion of it in our hearts. Like the time you held your baby sister in your arms, saw your first rainbow, or admired a beautiful sunset.
Having finished her second season picking grapes at a local winery, Deb Draper was ready for a change. Having spent her entire life in or around agriculture, she had come to the conclusion that as much as she loved the work, a better paying opportunity was out there. With the amount of time spent in farmwork, Deb faced a challenge in how to proceed in finding a new career. While attending a career fair in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Deb came across a Proteus booth. Here she learned about assistance options offered through the National Farmworker Jobs Program.
| Des Moines, Iowa 1221 Center Street, Suite 16 Des Moines, IA 50309 800-372-6031 |
Fort Dodge, Iowa 107 North 7th Street Fort Dodge, IA 50501 800-798-8225 |
Iowa City, Iowa 1548 South Gilbert Street Iowa City, IA 52240 800-397-9675 |
| Lincoln, Nebraska 3830 VerMaas Place, Suite A Lincoln, NE 68502 855-458-3421 |
North Platte, Nebraska 600 Francis Suite 8 North Platte, NE 69101 855-770-8387 |
Kokomo, Indiana 700 E Firmin St., Suite 150 Kokomo, IN 46902 855-765-6687 |
by Flying Hippo