Ever since Elaine Adams made that very first gift to the Willmar Area Women's Fund, volunteers and donors have become an integral part of the Fund.
As a celebration of Elaine's legacy, we're shining a spotlight on each of our Steering Committee members to celebrate the many ways they make the community a thriving, vibrant place to call home.
This month, let's learn more about Val Amberg.
About Val Amberg
She recently partially retired from CDS Administrative Services as the Managing Partner and she now works just a few hours a week. Val is loving being semi-retired because she gets to spend a lot of time with her 14 grandchildren. She also spends time doing the things she enjoys, such as reading, wine making, and being at the lake.
Val and her husband, Tom, have five daughters that each have families of their own. They all live and work in Willmar, except for one family that lives in Duluth.
Val and Tom are also a host family for the Willmar Stingers baseball team, so they have had a college baseball player living with them most summers.
Val's Involvement with the Women's Fund
When Val decided to retire, she wanted to make sure she had a “purpose,” so she attended a class at the AG Church in Willmar called “GPS Life Journey." It helped her reflect on her life experiences, discover her passions in life and helped her focus on her values.
She discovered that she's very nurturing and protective of the girls and women in her life and wanted to do something to help empower all women and girls. Val's focus was going to be on sex trafficking and when she heard about the Women’s Fund, she felt it was exactly where she was supposed to focus her energy.
Val has been a Steering Committee member for three years. She is currently the Vice-Chair and serves on the Donor Engagement/Events Task Team.
What Keeps Val Involved with the Fund
She continues to hear horrific stories of women and girls in our community who have been trafficked or exploited and she wants to help support those individuals through fundraising. She hopes that they will be empowered to become successful in getting their lives back.
We are so glad to have Val as part of the Women's Fund!