CREDIT HEIDI EIFFERT, STUDIOU
Jenny Bosking has been immersed in community service her entire life.
Now serving as director of development and communications at the Arc of East Central Iowa, she is a passionate and devoted advocate for those in need.
The Arc’s mission is to empower individuals with disabilities and their families to engage in lifelong opportunities to live, learn, work, play, and advocate. She said that this will be her life’s work.
“I love this mission, it is my quest, my goal,” Ms. Bosking said. “This town is full of great nonprofits. I think more than most communities… but [the Arc] is one of these little quiet places that if you’ve never needed it, lucky for you. If you have needed it, lucky for you that you get to be a part of this community of ours.”
Growing up in Cedar Rapids, her parents, Roger and Oline Stigers, showed her the importance of advocacy and community involvement from an early age.
They still live in Cedar Rapids today and are involved with the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), teaching the Family-to-Family classes at the organization.
“The bottom line is, I was raised in a family of doers and people who weren’t afraid to dive in,” Ms. Bosking said. “I keep thinking about how if there had been a Woman of Influence award 40 years ago, my mom would have gotten it.”
When Ms. Bosking was in middle school in the 1980s, her mother volunteered with food insecurity programs in Cedar Rapids. She and her husband started a free Thanksgiving meal program to supplement Green Square Meals, which did not offer a holiday meal at the time.
The Thanksgiving meal volunteer network grew each year, and in 1992, when Ms. Bosking was a senior in college, she met her future husband, Steve Bosking, while scooping whipped cream onto those Thanksgiving pies.
Ms. Bosking attended Luther College in Decorah and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She became a teacher in Cedar Rapids, then relocated for her husband’s career and taught in Detroit and Cincinnati before returning to Cedar Rapids in 2001.
She became a stay-at-home mom, with her son and daughter, for several years. During that time she continued to be involved in community service, holding several volunteer titles with Junior League of Cedar Rapids.
“I didn’t want to just be home, I had to find other people that made me better and challenged me,” Ms. Bosking said. “Junior League opened my eyes to just how great this community is. Not only in the impact that Junior League has had on the community, but the people that I got to rub shoulders with and interact with was just a joy. I was so proud of the work that we did.”
After returning to the workforce in 2013, with a temporary position at United Way of East Central Iowa, in 2014 Ms. Bosking found herself at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, helping establish the Ronald McDonald House Family Room there. She became the manager of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.
In 2019, Ms. Bosking took the role of development director for the St. Luke’s Foundation and AbbeHealth. She remained in this role until January of 2021, when she finally landed at the Arc.
“Although her role at the Arc is fundraising and building relationships with our donors, Jenny is also a huge advocate for people with disabilities and makes sure they are heard and seen,” wrote Teri Gibson in a recommendation letter for Women of Influence. Ms. Gibson serves on the Arc’s Board of Directors. “The clients the Arc serves adore her because she always has a hug and smile for them and kind words of encouragement. Jenny does not know a stranger and goes out of her way to make everyone feel welcome and connected.”
This profile was originally published in the CBJ’s 2024 Women of Influence publication. The 2024 Women of Influence are an inspiring group of community leaders who have each overcome adversity, taken chances and challenged themselves to make a positive impact in their community, despite demanding schedules in their personal and professional lives.
The CBJ will host the 2024 Women of Influence 20 Year Gala from 5-8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids. Tickets are still available to this event, which includes networking, dinner and remarks from the winners.
