Veronica Stober took the Girl Scout Promise so seriously that she continues to live it as an adult, both at work and in her personal life.
“I was a Girl Scout for many years,” she said. “One of the values scouting instills in you is helping others and your community. The Girl Scout Promise even states ‘to help people at all times.’”
Stober recalls the joy she found in her early volunteer projects with her troop. These days she and her former Boy Scout husband have led troops of their own, engaged their children in scouting, and volunteered with local scouts doing, as she said, “everything from putting flags on veterans’ graves to picking up trash after community festivals. Some volunteer jobs aren’t glamorous, but they all make our community a better place.”
Because community service has been a way of life for Stober since she was young, it has become a family affair now that she’s a parent. Outside of Girl Scouts, Stober volunteers with various Main Street events, the Children’s Art Festival, the monthly mobile food bank, and Furever Friends. Stober and her family also helped serve award-winning pancakes at a local pancake breakfast for PACT (Promoting Appanoose & Centerville Together). In 2021, their annual Pancake Day broke the Guinness World Record for most pancakes served.
Stober also views her work, as manager of credit and collections for Alliant Energy, as an extension of her mission to serve others.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize that our work in credit and collections is really about helping people,” she said. “We put people who are in difficult times in touch with resources to assist them with their bills or make payment arrangements to get back on track. It’s not about disconnecting people; it’s about helping them get to a better place.”
Photo caption: Alliant Energy employee Veronica Stober serves a pancake to a young guest at the 2021 PACT Pancake Day. The event broke the Guinness World Record for most pancakes served. (Photo courtesy of Veronica Stober)