Friends, family, and community members gathered at St. Anthony Regional Hospital earlier this week to celebrate a Carroll native’s selection as the 2022 Iowa Adult Citizen of Character. In July, the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University presented Luanne Kustra the award in recognition of her lifelong dedication to bettering the lives of those around her through countless hours of advocacy, volunteerism, and charitable works. One of her nominators, Region XII Executive Director Rick Hunsaker, says Kustra is the epitome of the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. He says she has showcased each one consistently for as long as he has known her.
Kustra is currently employed by St. Anthony Regional Hospital as a social worker, where she advocates for patients tirelessly. However, helping others extends well beyond just her career. She serves on the Community of Concern Food Pantry Board, organizes the annual Stuff the Bus food drive, started the Holly Jolly Reading Drive with her daughter, Katie Sparks, and many other endeavors. Kustra says her passion for philanthropy has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember, but she couldn’t have made as significant of an impact as she has without help from others.
Kustra adds she never pursued any of her previous projects for the recognition, and it was emotional to have so many of her family and friends gathered in support of her calling.
St. Anthony staff celebrated Kustra’s award this week the way she most preferred—by hosting food and book drives. With support from the community, staff collected heaps of non-perishable food items for the upcoming Stuff the bus event and gift books for New Opportunities clients in the region. A video played during Tuesday’s ceremony is included below.
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