Volunteer Leaders: Sarah Helle
Board Member, Foundation for the Future of Delaware County
- Hometown: Fort Dodge, Iowa
- Career: Clerk, City of Hopkinton
- Board member since: 2018
Tell us about yourself!
I met my husband while attending Central College in Pella. We moved to Hopkinton in 2000, when my husband began teaching at Maquoketa Valley. Our daughter is a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. We like to play board games, go for drives and spend time with family.
Early in my career, I worked as the director of childcare for Jones Regional Medical Center and Anamosa Community Schools. I served on the city council in Hopkinton for eight years, and in 2016 became the city clerk. When I was on the council, I saw firsthand what Hopkinton alone received (about $90,000 since the Foundation started making grants). We’ve done programs we wouldn’t have been able to do without that support.
What inspires you to keep serving?
I’m impressed by the sheer number of people in Delaware County who are touched by Foundation grants – from library programming, to little league, to nasal aspirators to help combat RSV at the hospital. It’s amazing what these dollars can do.
When the Foundation was established, a representative from the county network of city clerks always sat on the board. My role is to represent the city clerks county-wide. I continue to be inspired by all the good the Foundation does for our communities. It’s pretty phenomenal what a small foundation like this can do for local people and projects.