Miles Become Dollars for Guttenberg Youth During April
Contact:
Emily Sadewasser
Foundation Coordinator
563.880.6044
For immediate release
Dustin Eglseder was only given 23 years to live. In that short time, he made a big impression on his family, his close-knit group of friends, and his community. That impact is still being felt today, more than a decade after the young Guttenberg man died of bone cancer.
Throughout April, Dustin’s lifelong friend Justin Tangeman and Justin’s wife, Jill, are fundraising for Dustin’s memorial fund, the Dustin Eglseder Endowment for Guttenberg Youth. The couple, who is raising their family in Omaha, Neb., have pledged $2 for each mile they run during the month of Dustin’s birth and are challenging their friends across the Midwest to do the same.
“Dustin and I grew up together, with our friendship beginning in early childhood,” Justin reflects. “I could count on him for a good laugh, a listening ear, and to shoot it to me straight. I will forever miss his contagious positivity and his lighthearted approach to life.”
Dustin’s mother, Rose Eglseder, is proud of the adults her son’s closest friends have grown into since his passing. “Justin reaching out and making this challenge to other people is one example of how all the boys have turned into great men,” she says with a tearful smile.
“I would echo that,” says Dustin’s sister, Amy Clefisch, who is joining the fundraiser by pledging dollars for her own mileage in April. “In the time that Dustin’s been gone, they’ve all gotten married and have families of their own. It’s good to see that now that they have all these other things in their lives, this is still important.”
Rose and Amy started the Dustin Eglseder Endowment for Guttenberg Youth after putting careful thought into the many ways they could honor his memory. The fund is held by the Clayton County Foundation for the Future, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, which allows those who donate $50 or more to benefit from the 25% Endow Iowa state tax credit. In 2019, Clayton County Foundation endowments like Dustin’s will distribute more than $189,000 to Clayton County nonprofits. These funds are invested and pay out annually to support local causes forever.
Like his close friendships, Dustin’s memorial fund will continue making a positive impact for years to come. Rose and Amy grant the annual payout to local efforts that reflect Dustin’s many areas of interest, including athletics, recreation, music and the arts. “The youth in Guttenberg may or may not know who Dustin was, so it’s a great story to be able to share to keep that memory alive — forever,” says Rose.
“We had a great childhood in Guttenberg, and when he was ill, the community helped support us through that,” Amy explains. “We see this as an opportunity to give back to a community that helped shape Dustin and myself.” Over the past six years the endowment fund has supported many projects that benefit today’s youth, including baseball equipment, healthy snacks at an after-school art program, outdoor concerts, and the construction of a new municipal swimming pool.
To join the challenge this month, track the miles you run or bike and make a contribution to the Dustin Eglseder Endowment for Guttenberg Youth at dbqfoundation.org/EglsederMemorial. Or, contact Justin Tangeman at 402.917.6876 to get involved or make a pledge.
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The Clayton County Foundation for the Future, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, was created with the intention of setting up a perpetual endowment fund that would serve the needs of all of Clayton County and the 19 communities within the county. To learn more, visit dbqfoundation.org/ccff.
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The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque strengthens communities and inspires giving. For more information, visit dbqfoundation.org or call 563.588.2700.