116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
New executive director looks to boost awareness of organization that serves veterans
Mary Seely joined the Freedom Foundation last month, but she’s spent years working with veterans
Jun. 15, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: Jun. 16, 2025 10:38 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Public service work has been in Mary Seely’s “heart and soul” for decades.
Before May, when she started as the new executive director of the Freedom Foundation — an organization dedicated to helping veterans in Iowa — the Eastern Iowa native started her career as the marketing coordinator for the Hy-Vee Corporation.
Throughout her time with Hy-Vee, she moved around Iowa with her husband — who also works for the company. They chose the Cedar Rapids area as their final stop so they could be close to their children and grandchildren.
The Gazette spoke with Seely about her new role with the Freedom Foundation, what the organization does, and how she’d like to see it grow.
Q: What led you to the Freedom Foundation?
A: What drew me to the Freedom Foundation is that my son is a retired Air Force veteran of 20 years. So, I wasn't a military spouse, and I wasn’t on base with him, but throughout his journey that he started at age of 17, I was able to see the challenges and the sacrifices that the military men and women go through. The Freedom Foundation was exactly what I think every community needs, to help these veterans once they get out of service. But to have that understanding of what's behind the scenes, that's why I was drawn to the Freedom Foundation, because they understand what they've been through. I may not have walked in their shoes, but I watched my son, and so that's really the heart and soul.
And it was an opportunity for me to give back to the community, so that was my way of serving. I may not have been able to do what he did, but I can understand and I can help these veterans navigate through the different challenges that they have and that I have witnessed. I actually called the Freedom Foundation to volunteer. I'm very much a believer that the call was exactly what I needed to do, because it brought me back to where my heart and soul is, and that is with veterans.
I've also been on the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight Board for several years. I am their fundraising coordinator, and I fly out most of the time, two or three times a year, with the veterans. So that is another veteran organization where you just serve and give back to them.
Q: What shaped your mindset of serving your community? What sparked that initially?
A: Everybody wants to feel a part of something and the best way to do that is to feel a part of the community you know that you live in. Once you become involved, you join the groups, you help serve in the community. You learn about your community. I mean, it's your home. It's just been a passion of mine. It's just something I love doing. It's fulfilling. You see the benefits, sometimes right away, sometimes not for a while, but knowing that you are doing good in your community was very satisfying for me.
Q: Since you started this role a few weeks ago, what goals do you have for the organization?
A: As of right now, I see awareness. When I called to volunteer, I wasn’t sure what the Foundation did. My goal in this position is to grow that awareness and get it out there. Recently we served over 100 veterans for our Thursday luncheon. We should be serving more. There are more than 100 veterans out there, and we need to be serving more. My goal is to bring awareness to the community about exactly what we do here, how we can better serve, and make this organization even bigger and better than it already is.
Q: Do you think Iowans realize some of the challenges that veterans go through? Do you think post-service life is on the average Iowan’s radar?
A: I don't believe it is on their radar. These soldiers go out and take care of us, and I think as a community we are excited and want to help, but we just get busy with our own lives, so that we forget that soldiers and veterans are still out there. Most of these soldiers are gone for a year plus, and we have it top of mind for the first month, and then we move on.
But I want to make sure that we are really focusing on how to help these soldiers. I feel like a lot of the veterans that come in here are elderly and they don't have family around. This is their only place to go and have camaraderie with other veterans. Right now, we have probably eight veterans here, but this should be full. It should be a place to go, a place to just meet and be around like-minded people.
Q: Can you walk me through some of the ways that the organization helps veterans specifically?
A: Day-to-day here at the office (4001 Center Point Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids), we have a pool table, we have a big table where they all sit and have coffee and snacks. We’re not open until 8 a.m., but I have some veterans that are waiting for me to open. That is a good feeling that they have, to have ownership of the building too. But the veterans pitch in by bringing some canned goods even though they are the ones who need them. We have pool and poker tournaments here and different events that they can come here and be surrounded by other veterans. We also have a food pantry for those that need a little extra food throughout the month. They can come twice a month to the food pantry.
Then we also have financial assistance. They might have benefits that don't cover everything, so we're able to help with their lights or utilities or their rent. It's not a handout. What we really like to focus on is this is a “hand up.” We want to help them navigate their finances. I f they cannot make rent for one month, we will work together so they are able to make rent for the next month.
Q: What is upcoming for the Freedom Foundation?
A: We have a Fill the Shelves event, which is June 21, from 8 a.m. to noon You can drive up and drop off canned goods, personal items, paper towels, toilet paper, dish soap and more. Fill the Shelves is one of those opportunities where the community can just bring in anything for these veterans. We also have Veterans Appreciation on July 26 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. At that event we might have a food truck, we have swag bags to give to our veterans just to say, “Hey, we appreciate you.“ Those swag bags might have a gift card to Hy-Vee. It might have coupons for other things.
Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.
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Comments: olivia.cohen@thegazette.com
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