Bob and Ann Osterhaus: Investing in their Community

“The thing that makes a community desirable is when it believes in investing in itself.”

Bob Osterhaus says this with confidence. Since 1965, he and his wife Ann have operated their family pharmacy, Osterhaus Pharmacy. Working alongside Bob today are his son and daughter-in-law, pharmacists Matt and Marilyn Osterhaus.

As an established business owner with many vested interests in Maquoketa, he’s seen the impact community investment can have. Bob led the effort to start the Maquoketa Art Experience (MAE), a multipurpose facility in the central business district of Maquoketa. “The ultimate goal is to create an opportunity for people in this area to meet, see and create art,” he says.

Established in 2008, MAE is dedicated to arts education, appreciation and building community by engaging the residents of Maquoketa and surrounding areas in diverse creative activities.

The MAE isn’t the only way Bob and his wife have given back to their community. After learning about community foundations at his son’s wedding reception in Illinois, he went back home and asked, “Shouldn’t we start something like that in Maquoketa?” His question sparked what would later become the Community Foundation of Jackson County (CFJC).

“Bob Osterhaus played a crucial role in the beginnings of the Foundation and continues to play an active role today,” says Mary Jo Gothard, executive director for the CFJC. “Since coming on board, Bob has shared his vision with me for the Community Foundation and Jackson County as a whole.”

While Bob had seen the Foundation change over the years, he believed that it must continue to evolve to maximize its full potential. So when the Community Foundation of Jackson County decided to affiliate with the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, he knew the two would be stronger together.

“We are still the Community Foundation of Jackson County and it is so important that we remember that,” says Bob. “By pooling our resources, we can continue to move forward and invest in the community.”