Share Good CEO Marjorie Maas shares 5 things she can’t live without
MY FIVE: A series where we ask Omahans to share their five favorite thing
By: Xitlally Velasco
Marjorie Maas strives to empower others to tackle big goals and impacts. She believes there is enough good to help others and enough kindness and grace to surmount our challenges.
Marjorie is the CEO of Share Good, a technology and engagement partner for communities, foundations, and non-profit organizations that want to increase their local philanthropic and service involvement. She has been engaged in her metro area and the state as an executive, marketer, fund developer, advocate, and consultant by helping establish organizations for 20 years.
With a bachelor’s degree in art history from Truman State University, Marjorie has served as the founding executive director of SHARE Omaha, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska’s director of corporate social responsibility, development officer for College Possible Omaha, and more.
Marjorie has been honored with several awards for her love of the community and the service at the forefront of her work, including a Ten Outstanding Young Omahans (TOYO) recognition.
Without further adieu, here are Marjorie’s five favorite things…
Origami Cranes.
“The reason it started was to honor my deceased father’s Japanese heritage and symbolic presence at our wedding.”
-Marjorie Maas
If you’ve been in my house, you’ve seen these displayed throughout – especially golden foil ones. The reason it started was to honor my deceased father’s Japanese heritage and symbolic presence at our wedding. Family members and I folded the auspicious number of 1,001 golden cranes for the occasion. I have kept and used them as Christmas tree garlands and decorated our home with them as a reminder of that wonderful celebration and our marriage journey. Over the years, my children and I have folded many more. This newer mixture of paper patterns, colors, and sizes had a special, whimsical use in our 20th-anniversary celebration’s decorations just this last summer.
2. Art history books.
“My favorite artists from that degree were Brice Marden, the subject of my undergraduate thesis, and Charles Mackintosh, a testament to craft and following one’s heart.,” Maas said.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in art history and love the aspects of critical thinking, aesthetic evaluation, and complex exposure to the culture found in the discipline. My favorite artists from that degree were Brice Marden, the subject of my undergraduate thesis, and Charles Mackintosh, a testament to craft and following one’s heart. I have taken trips to have more exposure to these artists’ work - a breathtaking tour of Mackintosh’s projects in Glasgow, Scotland and a pilgrimage to see Marden’s painting retrospective in New York. These trips brought the significance of that degree and my passion for art full circle. These books are symbols of those experiences and passions.
3. Nonprofit T-shirts.
I’m a sucker for a comfortable, meaningful t-shirt. Many people collect shirts from their favorite musical artists – not me. I amass these from my favorite causes, nonprofits, and volunteer experiences. I wear one nearly every day on a fun but random rotation. It makes me smile to think of the work these represent. It makes me remember fondly the impact and efforts either made by me and team members or by passionate community servants.
4. Lemons.
My love for cooking.
“It relaxes me at the end of a busy day, satisfies the attendees, and warms our home with smells and energy from the kitchen,” Maas said.
I am highly passionate and intentional about cooking for family and friends. It relaxes me at the end of a busy day, satisfies the attendees, and warms our home with smells and energy from the kitchen. As my family knows, my favorite flavor of all time is lemon. Not necessarily the sweet lemon of a dessert but the citrusy goodness added to a main or side dish. I love zesting, squeezing, roasting, flavoring, marinating, and all the other ways to use this flavor. I’m glad my dinner participants don’t mind!
5. Family Jewelry.
I’m cheating a bit here with two items - same category, but two nonetheless. When I’m wearing gold, you’ll often spy the family crest from my father’s family. My four sisters and I each received a pendant from our aunt when my father passed away, and I cherish it and its significance so much. When I wear silver, you’ll see my bracelet with the title of a very important hymn to my family, “It is well with my soul.” I commissioned a local artist to make these for my mother and sisters some years ago. I deeply carry the significance of the lyrics, and the bracelet is my reminder of how to prioritize and value faith and this life’s most important elements.
Xitlally Velasco is a University of Nebraska at Omaha journalism student with a concentration in public relations and advertising and a minor in Psychology. Velasco is the Digital Content Curator at Lozafina Marketing and Public Relations. Send your tips and story ideas to office@lozafina.com