April 7, 2025 • 13 mins
Rebecca Moomey is a Vice President and Senior Private Banking Officer at Bankers Trust. She is a finalist for the Courage Award.
Sparkle Run Website: www.sparklerun.org
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Welcome to the Inspiring Women of Iowa podcast,
a special series
amplifying the stories of the Inspiring Women of Iowa Finalists.
Inspiring Women of Iowa is an annual event hosted by Girl
Scouts of Greater
Iowa with the goal of celebrating women of courage,
confidence and character who are making the world
(00:27):
a better place.
Why does that sound familiar?
Well, because it also happens
to be the mission of the Girl Scouts,
where they believe society is better because strong
women show girls that anything is possible.
This event was created by Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa in 2017
to celebrate women in our community
(00:48):
and share their stories, while raising support
for the Girl Scout programs
that build the next generation of inspiring women.
16 individuals are celebrated annually with the Courage,
Confidence, Character and Inspiring Advocate for Women Awards.
I'm your host, Sarah Noll Wilson.
I am a business owner, a champion of women, and I'm
(01:10):
also a proud Girl Scout alum.
So massive love to troop 238.
And I am honored to have the chance to speak with these amazing,
inspiring women and to share their stories with you.
Joining me today is Rebecca Moomey.
She is the vice president and senior private banking officer
(01:33):
at Bankers Trust, and she was nominated for the Courage Award.
Rebecca, thank you for joining me for this conversation.
Thanks, Sarah, for having me. Okay.
So before we dive into the work
you're doing, the impact
that you were trying to make on this world,
just what else should we know about you?
Well, I grew up in northwest Iowa.
(01:54):
Okay.
And I got my love of volunteering from very supportive parents.
My dad was a police officer, and my mom was a nurse.
So, you know,
their background would be, you know, serving and helping others.
Started off first volunteering for the soup kitchen
at our church, and, kind of just grew from there.
I was personally diagnosed with cancer between my freshman
(02:16):
and sophomore year of college.
Which led me to want to give back
and so when I started back up
my sophomore year at UNI,
I started volunteering with American Cancer Society.
So from there, it's just been, what can I do to help others?
Something that I'm passionate about, is volunteering. Yeah.
(02:38):
No, it's
just beautiful to hear how that's
just been part of your DNA for so long.
And you've obviously you've had situations
come up in your early life.
You've been nominated for the Courage Award.
And one of the things that we're talking about on this show
is the idea of impact, and how each of us,
whether we realize it or not,
(02:58):
are making an impact on the world around us.
So I'm curious to hear what's the impact that you hope
or are trying to make right now?
I hope to maybe inspire others,
to want to do to give back as well.
Yeah.
And that is whatever you may be passionate about.
So, whatever cause speaks to you.
(03:21):
It's important to join a committee.
Join a board.
Be a general volunteer.
Be a donor.
Get the word out about that organization
to see how you can help.
Because, you will make a big impact on other people.
Yeah.
So talk to us a little bit more
about your journey and your experience.
And yeah, we were talking a little bit beforehand, but,
(03:45):
it can be easy to show up on like,
it can be easy to show up when things are easy.
It's different to show off when things are hard,
which sounds like is
part of what has inspired somebody nominating you for courage?
Yeah. Well. Thank you.
I will say, in
addition to my parents and my sisters, Erin has inspired me.
(04:07):
So Erin, is my daughter,
who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013.
She was treated at Blank.
And a really cool story is,
we were walking around blank one day, the outside space,
Helen Cutler Park, and they had an old playground on, like,
this mound of, grass and dirt, and it was made out of steel.
(04:30):
She loved going outside when we were there
at the hospital for treatments,
and she asked me, as a ten year old in August of 2013,
can we replace this playground?
I was like, I have no idea if we can replace this playground.
But, the next, week I called Blank Children's Hospital,
and they got me in touch with someone of their foundation,
(04:50):
and, they were all for it,
but we
we had to do all the fundraising on our own,
which we were very excited about.
So we started that process, met with playground,
developers and, then Erin,
got really sick, kind of took a, turn for the worse.
And,
unfortunately, after eight months,
(05:11):
she passed away at the age of 11.
In October of 2013, and we kind of put the playground on hold.
Obviously you're grieving.
You just don't know what to do.
But, two of her teachers, third grade
and fourth grade
teachers, were very much into running and wellness.
And we thought, well, Erin's a fifth grader.
These fifth graders are going to go off to middle school.
(05:32):
So in January of 2014,
we decided, let's do the wellness event.
We put a committee together.
I was part of that.
And, we let the kids, name it.
And Erin was very bright and bubbly
and so it was called the Sparkle Run.
So we started the Sparkle Run in 2014,
and it was just going to be a 5K, one time thing.
(05:56):
And we decided to use those funds for the playground at Blank.
And in four months, we raised $50,000
and we were able to put the playground in in July of 2014,
nine months after Erin passed away.
Oh, wow.
So it's just it's beautiful.
It is, a really nice playground.
(06:16):
It's flat now.
It's got the squishy surfaces.
Has a great playground equipment.
There's a bench there with Erin's name on it. And,
so it was so successful that we decided, you know what?
Raising money is kind of fun.
So we. This will be our 12th year.
And, May of May 4th is our date for the Sparkle Run.
(06:37):
It’s just a 5K, it's held in Ankeny.
And we have given to many organizations in Des Moines
in Erin's name.
So Make-A-Wish, Children's Cancer Connection, Tori's Angels,
the Ronald McDonald House.
We've given both to Blank
and Mercy Hospitals for their child life programs.
And we do it all for her.
So I will do my best to keep her memory alive as long as I can.
(06:59):
Yeah. What?
You know, when we talk about impact, I love that it's 2025,
and we get to talk about her name
and we get to introduce everyone to her and her legacy.
How
I'm really struck by the heart
that she had and
(07:22):
being, facing her own sickness and illness
and thinking about other people.
I'm curious if you're, like, willing to
how would you describe Erin's heart?
Oh, she had the biggest heart.
She was friends to everybody.
And her classmates are, all seniors in college.
(07:43):
Now, if they've not already graduated early.
They were the best class. So supportive.
But Erin was just very outgoing and bubbly.
Again, she loved sparkles and just bright colors.
And she played soccer and basketball, and she was a dancer.
And, she just loved life.
(08:03):
And even when she was going through treatment,
you know,
I kind of get some of my courage and inspiration from her.
She is my hero because, adults,
I don't know, adults
would have handled it as well as she did as a ten year old.
And then 11 year old when she passed away,
and we would go to treatment and no, it was not fun.
(08:23):
But I tell you all the time in between,
she was doing all the things.
She didn't back out of anything.
She went to school every day.
And she stayed in all of her sports
and all of her activities, and she, was fabulous.
It was. She's a great girl.
I'm.
I'm making the assumption, but I want to test the assumption.
The next question I'm going to ask is who inspires you?
(08:44):
And I'm wondering, just what else would you like to add?
You bet.
Well, as I mentioned earlier, my parents
definitely started that spark within us with, all my sisters.
My two sisters also give back to their own communities.
Which is great where they live.
But definitely Erin has given me the motivation
and I've joined other boards because of that.
(09:04):
My passion is, cancer related organizations.
Pediatrics.
So childhood, illnesses, doesn't have to be cancer,
but really just want to support other families
who have gone through
a similar, health crisis with their child,
whether they, are doing well
and thriving now or if they have passed away.
(09:28):
Yeah.
And I will tell you this, our Des Moines community,
it is unbelievable.
We have met so many families
who have lost a child, and you could in a heartbeat decide
you are not going to do anything ever again
because you just don't want to have to deal with it.
And I will tell you, 95% of the families do something.
(09:49):
Whether it's a toy drive or a blood
drive or a 5K or whatever it might be,
it is amazing what these families do to honor their kids.
Yeah. What?
Oh.
What would you say to someone who's listening,
who might be in a pretty tough, dark time?
(10:12):
What would you say to them?
What do I want to say?
Like,
what would you say to them when having courage
maybe feels hopeless right now or maybe further away?
What would you.
What would you say to them right now?
I would just say, you know what?
(10:32):
You got to take it one day at a time.
You have to give yourself grace.
Some days are going to be good.
Some days are going to be bad.
But you just have to be there to support
your loved one and, just do the best you can.
But there is always hope.
It may not turn out where you want it to be
or how you wanted it to be or how you planned it.
(10:55):
But,
hope and being positive is,
is much better than the alternative.
Yeah.
Yeah, I love
I love that reminder
that it might not always
look how you want it, but it's always there.
You know, the question I was going to ask.
So I'll give you an opportunity
if there's anything you want to add, is just
what would be one message you want to leave
for the people who are listening to this or watching this, or
(11:16):
who find your story?
You bet.
I would say some people
probably think they can't make a difference.
But just like I said before, if you just step up and volunteer
and get involved with something that you are passionate about,
you will be surprised at how many people, you will inspire
or, just motivate to want to help others.
(11:38):
Very small act of kindness goes a long ways.
So just get involved and go out and find something
that, inspires you.
Yeah, I love that.
So for people who might be interested in learning more
about the Sparkle Run, either by participating
or donating to it,
what's the best way for people to connect with you?
(11:58):
You bet.
So we have a website.
It's,
www dot Sparkle Run dot org.
And on there are all the details for this year.
It is Sunday, May 4th.
And you can walk or you can run.
Don't have to be a runner.
We have plenty of walkers, and it is,
at DMACC in Ankeny this year.
Rebecca, thank you so much for continuing to fight for those
(12:22):
who need need people to fight for them
and continuing to just honor.
Honor Erin.
She's very, very lucky to have you as a mom.
Oh. Thank you. So thank you.
Thank you for being here. Thank you so much.
The 2025 Inspiring Women of Iowa event will be held
(12:43):
on May 9th at the Meadows Events and Conference Center.
To purchase tickets
and get more information about supporting this event, please
visit Inspiring Women of Iowa dot com and all proceeds
from this fundraising event stay 100% local
to benefit Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa and their mission
to build up girls of courage, confidence
(13:05):
and character who will make this world a better place.
Thank you for listening and thank you for your support.
Welcome to the Inspiring Women of Iowa podcast,
a special series
amplifying the stories of the Inspiring Women of Iowa Finalists.
Inspiring Women of Iowa is an annual event hosted by Girl
Scouts of Greater
Iowa with the goal of celebrating women of courage,
confidence and character who are making the world
(00:27):
a better place.
Why does that sound familiar?
Well, because it also happens
to be the mission of the Girl Scouts,
where they believe society is better because strong
women show girls that anything is possible.
This event was created by Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa in 2017
to celebrate women in our community
(00:48):
and share their stories, while raising support
for the Girl Scout programs
that build the next generation of inspiring women.
16 individuals are celebrated annually with the Courage,
Confidence, Character and Inspiring Advocate for Women Awards.
I'm your host, Sarah Noll Wilson.
I am a business owner, a champion of women, and I'm
(01:10):
also a proud Girl Scout alum.
So massive love to troop 238.
And I am honored to have the chance to speak with these amazing,
inspiring women and to share their stories with you.
Joining me today is Rebecca Moomey.
She is the vice president and senior private banking officer
(01:33):
at Bankers Trust, and she was nominated for the Courage Award.
Rebecca, thank you for joining me for this conversation.
Thanks, Sarah, for having me. Okay.
So before we dive into the work
you're doing, the impact
that you were trying to make on this world,
just what else should we know about you?
Well, I grew up in northwest Iowa.
(01:54):
Okay.
And I got my love of volunteering from very supportive parents.
My dad was a police officer, and my mom was a nurse.
So, you know,
their background would be, you know, serving and helping others.
Started off first volunteering for the soup kitchen
at our church, and, kind of just grew from there.
I was personally diagnosed with cancer between my freshman
(02:16):
and sophomore year of college.
Which led me to want to give back
and so when I started back up
my sophomore year at UNI,
I started volunteering with American Cancer Society.
So from there, it's just been, what can I do to help others?
Something that I'm passionate about, is volunteering. Yeah.
(02:38):
No, it's
just beautiful to hear how that's
just been part of your DNA for so long.
And you've obviously you've had situations
come up in your early life.
You've been nominated for the Courage Award.
And one of the things that we're talking about on this show
is the idea of impact, and how each of us,
whether we realize it or not,
(02:58):
are making an impact on the world around us.
So I'm curious to hear what's the impact that you hope
or are trying to make right now?
I hope to maybe inspire others,
to want to do to give back as well.
Yeah.
And that is whatever you may be passionate about.
So, whatever cause speaks to you.
(03:21):
It's important to join a committee.
Join a board.
Be a general volunteer.
Be a donor.
Get the word out about that organization
to see how you can help.
Because, you will make a big impact on other people.
Yeah.
So talk to us a little bit more
about your journey and your experience.
And yeah, we were talking a little bit beforehand, but,
(03:45):
it can be easy to show up on like,
it can be easy to show up when things are easy.
It's different to show off when things are hard,
which sounds like is
part of what has inspired somebody nominating you for courage?
Yeah. Well. Thank you.
I will say, in
addition to my parents and my sisters, Erin has inspired me.
(04:07):
So Erin, is my daughter,
who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2013.
She was treated at Blank.
And a really cool story is,
we were walking around blank one day, the outside space,
Helen Cutler Park, and they had an old playground on, like,
this mound of, grass and dirt, and it was made out of steel.
(04:30):
She loved going outside when we were there
at the hospital for treatments,
and she asked me, as a ten year old in August of 2013,
can we replace this playground?
I was like, I have no idea if we can replace this playground.
But, the next, week I called Blank Children's Hospital,
and they got me in touch with someone of their foundation,
(04:50):
and, they were all for it,
but we
we had to do all the fundraising on our own,
which we were very excited about.
So we started that process, met with playground,
developers and, then Erin,
got really sick, kind of took a, turn for the worse.
And,
unfortunately, after eight months,
(05:11):
she passed away at the age of 11.
In October of 2013, and we kind of put the playground on hold.
Obviously you're grieving.
You just don't know what to do.
But, two of her teachers, third grade
and fourth grade
teachers, were very much into running and wellness.
And we thought, well, Erin's a fifth grader.
These fifth graders are going to go off to middle school.
(05:32):
So in January of 2014,
we decided, let's do the wellness event.
We put a committee together.
I was part of that.
And, we let the kids, name it.
And Erin was very bright and bubbly
and so it was called the Sparkle Run.
So we started the Sparkle Run in 2014,
and it was just going to be a 5K, one time thing.
(05:56):
And we decided to use those funds for the playground at Blank.
And in four months, we raised $50,000
and we were able to put the playground in in July of 2014,
nine months after Erin passed away.
Oh, wow.
So it's just it's beautiful.
It is, a really nice playground.
(06:16):
It's flat now.
It's got the squishy surfaces.
Has a great playground equipment.
There's a bench there with Erin's name on it. And,
so it was so successful that we decided, you know what?
Raising money is kind of fun.
So we. This will be our 12th year.
And, May of May 4th is our date for the Sparkle Run.
(06:37):
It’s just a 5K, it's held in Ankeny.
And we have given to many organizations in Des Moines
in Erin's name.
So Make-A-Wish, Children's Cancer Connection, Tori's Angels,
the Ronald McDonald House.
We've given both to Blank
and Mercy Hospitals for their child life programs.
And we do it all for her.
So I will do my best to keep her memory alive as long as I can.
(06:59):
Yeah. What?
You know, when we talk about impact, I love that it's 2025,
and we get to talk about her name
and we get to introduce everyone to her and her legacy.
How
I'm really struck by the heart
that she had and
(07:22):
being, facing her own sickness and illness
and thinking about other people.
I'm curious if you're, like, willing to
how would you describe Erin's heart?
Oh, she had the biggest heart.
She was friends to everybody.
And her classmates are, all seniors in college.
(07:43):
Now, if they've not already graduated early.
They were the best class. So supportive.
But Erin was just very outgoing and bubbly.
Again, she loved sparkles and just bright colors.
And she played soccer and basketball, and she was a dancer.
And, she just loved life.
(08:03):
And even when she was going through treatment,
you know,
I kind of get some of my courage and inspiration from her.
She is my hero because, adults,
I don't know, adults
would have handled it as well as she did as a ten year old.
And then 11 year old when she passed away,
and we would go to treatment and no, it was not fun.
(08:23):
But I tell you all the time in between,
she was doing all the things.
She didn't back out of anything.
She went to school every day.
And she stayed in all of her sports
and all of her activities, and she, was fabulous.
It was. She's a great girl.
I'm.
I'm making the assumption, but I want to test the assumption.
The next question I'm going to ask is who inspires you?
(08:44):
And I'm wondering, just what else would you like to add?
You bet.
Well, as I mentioned earlier, my parents
definitely started that spark within us with, all my sisters.
My two sisters also give back to their own communities.
Which is great where they live.
But definitely Erin has given me the motivation
and I've joined other boards because of that.
(09:04):
My passion is, cancer related organizations.
Pediatrics.
So childhood, illnesses, doesn't have to be cancer,
but really just want to support other families
who have gone through
a similar, health crisis with their child,
whether they, are doing well
and thriving now or if they have passed away.
(09:28):
Yeah.
And I will tell you this, our Des Moines community,
it is unbelievable.
We have met so many families
who have lost a child, and you could in a heartbeat decide
you are not going to do anything ever again
because you just don't want to have to deal with it.
And I will tell you, 95% of the families do something.
(09:49):
Whether it's a toy drive or a blood
drive or a 5K or whatever it might be,
it is amazing what these families do to honor their kids.
Yeah. What?
Oh.
What would you say to someone who's listening,
who might be in a pretty tough, dark time?
(10:12):
What would you say to them?
What do I want to say?
Like,
what would you say to them when having courage
maybe feels hopeless right now or maybe further away?
What would you.
What would you say to them right now?
I would just say, you know what?
(10:32):
You got to take it one day at a time.
You have to give yourself grace.
Some days are going to be good.
Some days are going to be bad.
But you just have to be there to support
your loved one and, just do the best you can.
But there is always hope.
It may not turn out where you want it to be
or how you wanted it to be or how you planned it.
(10:55):
But,
hope and being positive is,
is much better than the alternative.
Yeah.
Yeah, I love
I love that reminder
that it might not always
look how you want it, but it's always there.
You know, the question I was going to ask.
So I'll give you an opportunity
if there's anything you want to add, is just
what would be one message you want to leave
for the people who are listening to this or watching this, or
(11:16):
who find your story?
You bet.
I would say some people
probably think they can't make a difference.
But just like I said before, if you just step up and volunteer
and get involved with something that you are passionate about,
you will be surprised at how many people, you will inspire
or, just motivate to want to help others.
(11:38):
Very small act of kindness goes a long ways.
So just get involved and go out and find something
that, inspires you.
Yeah, I love that.
So for people who might be interested in learning more
about the Sparkle Run, either by participating
or donating to it,
what's the best way for people to connect with you?
(11:58):
You bet.
So we have a website.
It's,
www dot Sparkle Run dot org.
And on there are all the details for this year.
It is Sunday, May 4th.
And you can walk or you can run.
Don't have to be a runner.
We have plenty of walkers, and it is,
at DMACC in Ankeny this year.
Rebecca, thank you so much for continuing to fight for those
(12:22):
who need need people to fight for them
and continuing to just honor.
Honor Erin.
She's very, very lucky to have you as a mom.
Oh. Thank you. So thank you.
Thank you for being here. Thank you so much.
The 2025 Inspiring Women of Iowa event will be held
(12:43):
on May 9th at the Meadows Events and Conference Center.
To purchase tickets
and get more information about supporting this event, please
visit Inspiring Women of Iowa dot com and all proceeds
from this fundraising event stay 100% local
to benefit Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa and their mission
to build up girls of courage, confidence
(13:05):
and character who will make this world a better place.
Thank you for listening and thank you for your support.
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