Mary Westbrook: Inspiring a community to give

Mary Westbrook has a different perspective on the “give ‘til it hurts” philosophy. 

“Give until it feels good and then you’ll want to do more,” the longtime community volunteer said.

Ms. Westbrook, of Coralville, was nominated as a Women of Influence honoree by several nonprofit organizations that have experienced a positive impact from her leadership, including the United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties, where she served as interim CEO not once, but twice.

“Her willingness to lead during such a critical period reflects her dedication to the community and her belief in the power of collective impact,” wrote Jacki Townsend, past chairwoman of the United Way.

Ms. Townsend noted that Ms. Westbrook’s long-standing leadership in The Power of the Purse, a signature fundraising event, has been instrumental in amplifying the event’s success and raising vital funds to address the needs of women and families in the region.

“She inspires others to give, advocate, and volunteer, leaving an indelible impact on the organization and the communities we serve,” Ms. Townsend wrote of Ms. Westbrook’s involvement in the United Way. “Her work stands as a testament to the power of committed individuals to create meaningful change.”

Ms. Westbrook has served on a long list of boards, including Mercy Hospital of Iowa City; the University of Iowa Museum of Art Members’ Council; University Stanley Museum of Art Emeritus Committee; the Healthy Kids School-based Clinics Committee; Oaknoll LifeCare Community and the Oaknoll Foundation Board.

She also has served on the Community Foundation of Johnson County board of directors, and its finance and resource committees.

A native of South Dakota, Ms. Westbrook graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from South Dakota State University, and began her career as a teacher and debate coach before moving into the corporate world. 

She was a senior account executive at Westinghouse Learning Corp. in Dallas, where she focused on financial aid management systems, then moved to Washington, D.C., and Iowa City with NCS Pearson. 

Ms. Westbrook served as senior vice president and general manager for Pearson Government Solutions before retiring at a relatively young age in 2008. She then became a management consultant and partner for Westcott Group LLC in Iowa City, consulting on government contracting and other business support.

While she had volunteered for nonprofits during her career, Ms. Westbrook often had to travel, “and it was difficult to know where I’d be,” she said, but she was finally able to devote more time to causes important to her upon retirement.

A friend asked if she would help with United Action for Youth’s Festival of Flowers, starting a “second career” of sorts, as a community volunteer.

Ms. Westbrook has not only served on area nonprofit boards, but has started organizations that help raise awareness, and funds, for the community.

She, along with Anne Vandenberg, founded the women’s philanthropic organization 5224GOOD, a name that reflected the zip codes where the original members lived.

The two did not want to just gather people together to support nonprofits, they wanted members to have a thorough understanding of the issues facing the community.

Through quarterly meetings each year, members brainstorm and vote on which issue to support that year, such as food insecurity. They then learn more and vote to distribute their gifts to nonprofits working to address that issue.

Members pay an annual fee of $250, which is pooled with others to provide grants to support the giving year’s area of focus. 

In the 12 years the organization has been in existence, more than $400,000 has been distributed to local nonprofits. In addition to being a co-founder of 5224GOOD, Ms. Westbrook has served as president and continues to participate as a member.

The organization is an example of her volunteer philosophy.

“We wanted to make it fun to do, and easy to do,” she said of the meetings that include wine, appetizers and conversation.

Ms. Westbrook also joined with friends in another of her passions: cooking.

Friends Who Cook hosts dinner parties to raise money for charitable causes, such as Table to Table.

“They’re fun and they’re good,” she said of the dinners. “It’s just a way of giving while you’re still having fun.”