TDS celebrates all associates who give back to their communities

Here are our most recent featured volunteers

Lindsay Trustem

Evansville, Wisconsin

Animal rescue has been a passion for Senior Project Manager Lindsay Trustem since she was a child. The daughter of two animal-loving parents, Lindsay grew up in a home filled with various rescue animals.

When Lindsay was 18 and living on her own for the first time, she adopted her first animal—an abandoned cat named Calvin. Less than a year later, she adopted two rescue pit bull mixes. For the last 20 years, she’s been an active pet foster and volunteer, rehabbing and fostering at least two rescue pit bulls at any given time.

In that timeframe, she’s also been an active volunteer at several rescue organizations and non-profits, including The Cats Pawjamas Rescue (Albany, Wisc.), Misfit Felines Rescue (Stoughton, Wisc.), Brown Paws Dog Rescue (Edgerton, Wisc.), Diamond Dogs Rescue (Madison, Wisc.), the Paws Humane Society (Rockford, Ill.), Rescue Railroad (Chicago, Ill.), and Czar’s Promise (Madison, Wisc.). Lindsay’s special ability to heal any animal through love and care—even the most emotionally damaged souls—has gained her an impressive reputation in the local animal rescue community. She is often called upon by local shelters to help rehab struggling animals.

“I know some believe that if you volunteer a lot, you don’t need to tell the world about it,” Lindsay said. “I love how TDS emphasizes and recognizes its associates for the work they do in their communities, because I believe talking about it is the best way for others to discover their love for volunteering.”

Women in colorful dress holding pet carrier in both hands.

Matthew Ivens

Middleton, Wisconsin

Whether it’s at Meals on Wheels, the Freemasonry, his children’s’ activities, or just seeing a person in need, Senior Sales Engineer Matthew Ivens is always quick to lend a helping hand.

A resident of Middleton, Wisconsin, Matt began his volunteerism delivering meals through the Meals on Wheels program. He’s also been active and held several leadership roles with Wisconsin Freemasonry—helping men over the age of 18 become better individuals, community members, fathers, and partners.

Matt’s kids are now at the center of many of his activities, as he continues to stay busy coaching youth soccer, chaperoning trips, and volunteering at school.

For Matt, volunteering has multiple purposes. Not only is it about helping others, but he also gets a sense of fulfillment, builds new friendships, and grows as a person.

“Growing up, my parents always set a strong example to get involved and help out where you can,” Matt said. “Because of that, it can be hard for me to stand on the sidelines when something needs to be done, or when someone needs help and I have the resources available (like time, money, or knowledge) to help. We only have a short time on this planet, and for me, I feel I need to do as much good as I can while I’m here.”

Matthew Ivens

Tammy Brown

Janesville, Wisconsin

Volunteering is in Lead Data Analyst Tammy Brown’s DNA.

“I love volunteering because I can see the results of my efforts in the world around me, and I know that I am making a difference,” Tammy said.

For the past 15 years, Tammy and her husband, Tim, have been active volunteers at many Relay for Life events on behalf of the American Cancer Society (ACS)—supporting patient programs and cancer research. For eight years, the couple led Relay for Life in their community, helping raise more than $500,000.

Tammy is also involved in the nonpartisan lobbying affiliate of ACS, the ACS-Cancer Action Network (ACS-CAN). In fact, Tammy was directly involved in the advocacy efforts for then-Vice President Joe Biden’s Moonshot Initiative, which led to the passage of the STAR-ACT (Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research).

Tammy also teaches children financial literacy through her involvement with Junior Achievement, serves as a chief elections inspector at Janesville elections, and volunteers with her local church.

Tammy Brown

Ashley Heil

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Volunteering has held a special place in Senior Project Consultant Ashley Heil’s heart for as long as she can remember.

It all started when she began volunteering with her hometown church group as a child. From there, she carried this passion into middle school and high school, serving on boards for youth organizations like 4-H, FFA (Future Farmers of America), and FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America). In these roles, she helped organized community events and helped younger students get involved in them.

More recently, Ashley has used her background in agriculture and marketing communications to benefit people in impoverished countries. Since her initial service trip to Fiji in college, she’s spent over three years in 13 countries across the globe on mission trips.

Last year, Ashley applied her agricultural knowledge to benefit impoverished people during two mission trips to the Dominican Republic and Panama. One of her groups’ projects was helping build a 6,000-square-foot wall, which will contain a skills lab where members of the community will learn to repair essential items. The skills lab will create local jobs and prevent waste.

“The reason I’m here at TDS is because the company emphasizes giving back to the community and giving associates the paid time off to make a difference,” Ashley said. “I feel so empowered working for a company that shares many of my values.”

Ashley Heil