Four employees within the MDU Resources family of companies recently received the Community Spirit Award for 2022. This annual corporate award recognizes employees’ volunteerism and community involvement. Each winner receives a cash prize, plus $1,000 is given to a qualified charity of the winner’s choice.
Each year, MDU Resources honors employees who make outstanding contributions to our family of companies and the communities we serve. Four award categories recognize spirit (community and work), skill and stewardship.
2022 Community Spirit Award winners
Rob Jongsma
Vice president and general manager of Knife River Materials
Casper, Wyoming
Rob has continuously supported Natrona County 4-H and its youth participants. One of the biggest learning opportunities for 4-H youth is learning how to raise, care for and show a farm animal such as a cow or pig. Rob has purchased livestock from 4-H youth and has donated the meat to two local non-profits: Natrona County Meals on Wheels and IReach2. Rob’s donation to Meals on Wheels helps provide up to 500 meals to the community’s homebound, handicapped and convalescent adults. The meat donation to IReach2, a progressive care facility for adults with developmental disabilities and brain injuries, helps feed its participants.
Shirley Messerle
Senior project administrator with OEG Mid-Valley
Eugene, Oregon
Shirley believes in finding ways to provide for those in need and has found a way to stretch the efforts of one by involving many. She coordinates OEG’s community service through an organization called Bags of Love, whose mission is “Helping Children in Crisis One Bag of Love at a Time.”
Shirley introduced Bags of Love to the OEG team to collect necessities and comfort items for children in crisis due to neglect, abuse, poverty or homelessness. She even set up a donation point in OEG’s Mid-Valley office, making it convenient for OEG employees to donate. She also arranged a business partnership between OEG and Bags of Love; OEG is listed on the organization’s website as a convenient drop-off location.
Shirley also has a long history of coordinating Lane County Food Bank volunteer opportunities with the OEG team – since before she began employment with OEG.
Terry Hood
Warehouse person, WBI Energy
Glendive, Montana
Thanks to the efforts of Terry Hood and his family, the community of Glendive, Montana, glows with holiday spirit. For seven months of the year, Terry builds, maintains and refurbishes all 80 of the Christmas decorations that adorn the downtown light poles during the holiday season.
With help from his family, they also decorate the Gazebo Park and BNSF Park with ground mount holiday light displays. Terry makes sure other holidays get their share of attention, too, by changing all the light bulbs in the park lanterns to the respective color of each holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and the Fourth of July.
Terry’s attention to Gazebo Park and BNSF Park is a year-round effort. He and his family regularly pull weeds, pick up garbage, and maintain the gazebo with regular upkeep and staining.
His community efforts don’t end there. Terry is the president of the Red Devil Booster Club, which raises money to support junior high and high school athletics. He’s also a retired volunteer firefighter, has coached and umpired baseball for 40 years and helped WBI Energy’s welding department build the red iron superstructure for the new grandstand at Glendive’s fairgrounds.
Laura Lueder
Manager of Communications and Public Relations, MDU Resources
Bismarck, North Dakota
Laura is someone who gives humbly of her time and talent in the community. She currently serves on the boards of Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota and the North Dakota Newspaper Association Foundation and is heavily involved with the Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons organization.
Laura has been active as a Girl Scout and Girl Scouts volunteer for over 20 years and is a Lifetime Girl Scout member. Her involvement with the Girl Scouts started when her mom signed her up in first grade. Her mom was her Girl Scout troop leader. Laura volunteered as her daughter’s Girl Scout troop leader. While she was a troop leader, she also was a Service Unit volunteer, serving in officer positions. Laura has been a camp director and continues to serve on the camp planning committee and as a camp volunteer. She serves on the Board of Directors for Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons and volunteers for many Girl Scouts events.
Her passion for STEM opportunities, combined with her love for the Girl Scouts organization, has fostered a STEM partnership between MDU Resources Group and Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons. The partnership encourages young ladies to consider STEM opportunities and introduces them to STEM career fields.
Laura has submitted a total of 855 volunteer hours with Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons to the MDU Resources Foundation employee matching contribution program for volunteerism. Her dedication to building future girl leaders earned her the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award.
