New Omahan finds generosity at CU job, donates to Goodfellows in gratitude

Creighton University librarian Elizabeth Kiscaden didn’t know a soul in Omaha when she moved here last year.

And meeting people was a challenge, since it was March and the city was in the grip of a global pandemic.

“It was a terrible time to come here,” she said. “Everything was closed. Downtown was deserted.”

Her staff at Creighton, where she is assistant vice provost of library services, was a big help.

“People at work were really welcoming. They were really sweet to me … really supportive,” she said.

Their kindness prompted her to donate $300 to Goodfellows after she read about The World-Herald charity in her newspaper.

The 120-year-old agency provides one-time emergency aid to struggling area residents, distributes holiday meal vouchers and gives coats, gloves and clothes to kids. The World-Herald administers it in partnership with United Way of the Midlands.

She dedicated her gift to the Creighton University Library’s staff.

Her co-workers’ generosity would not be at all surprising to John Maczynski, another Goodfellows donor. He was born and raised in Bellevue, attended CU, moved to Boston about 20 years ago and has been giving to the charity ever since.

His dedication on the published Goodfellows donor list says he gives “on behalf of those who live elsewhere but still care deeply for the well-being of Nebraskans, the best people on earth.”

Maczynski said he initially donated because he wanted to give back to his home state.

“But when I spent more time elsewhere,” he said, “I realized that Nebraskans are a special breed.”

He thinks a sense of humility and a sense of community set Nebraskans apart from people in other regions. The difference, he said, is “pretty dramatic” when you spend time in Nebraska after being away. He comes back to visit a couple of times a year.

“The culture is dedicated to doing the right thing,” he said. “(That) was instilled in me by my mother, Marianna, who’s 81 years old and always smiling. Every year she would bring to the holiday table someone who would have otherwise been alone. Even though we didn’t have a lot, we were taught that there were ways we could make someone’s life a little better.”

Maczynski’s affinity for Nebraska has prompted him to maintain a business connection here. He recently became the CEO of Plant Addicts (plantaddicts.com), a Valley, Nebraska-based online plant and gardening store.

He estimated that he’s given close to $20,000 to Goodfellows. He said he supports the charity because it helps a wide range of people and doesn’t focus on just one type of aid.

Kiscaden echoed his sentiments. She said she likes that Goodfellows is laser-focused on the community and serves all different kinds of families.

Giving, she said, is a given for employees at Creighton. The university, run by the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus (commonly known as the Jesuits), gives workers paid time off to volunteer and counts helping others as one of its most important missions.

“One of our values is called cura personalis,” Kiscaden said, which, when translated from the original Latin, means “having care and concern for the personal development of the whole person.”

She sees that every day in her library staff. One example: When she first arrived, she received a gift basket with Nebraska items, including a bottle of Dorothy Lynch dressing, which confused her until she learned the origins of the brand.

“My team is really driven to help others,” she said. “I wanted to recognize our team in a way that was valuable to them and fit their values.”