Nebraska Appleseed is pleased to welcome Kelly Bach, the inaugural Neec Bowyer Good Trouble Fellow. Kelly will be working full-time with our Health Care Access Team this summer.
Originally from the Twin Cities area, Kelly is a recent graduate of Creighton University in Omaha. She is preparing for law school and was looking for an opportunity to focus on politics, social justice, or advocacy during her gap year. That’s when she saw this fellowship shared on a forum at Creighton.
Kelly grew up with her eyes open to seeing other perspectives and experiences that were different from her own. She is passionate about social justice and advocacy and says her “parents did a great job letting her and her brother know that they were very fortunate to have the opportunities they did and that they have privilege and support that not everyone has growing up.” Now, Kelly is putting her privilege and resources to work.
Kelly was especially motivated for this work last summer after the Congressional passage of H.R.1 (the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”). Having come from Minneapolis, Kelly was particularly interested in the drastic funding cuts that are being used to fuel harmful immigration crackdowns in the U.S. Since diving further into the bill, Kelly has learned much more about SNAP, Medicaid, and Medicare – all programs that have lost funding to pay for the arrests and detention of our immigrant neighbors.
Kelly says, “It’s easy to get discouraged with everything going on, but I find hope in knowing there are organizations like Appleseed working to make things better.”
About The Neec Bowyer Good Trouble Fellowship
The Neec Bowyer Good Trouble Fellowship honors the life and work of the late Denise “Neec” Bowyer, who fought tirelessly to improve working conditions, ensure dignity in the workplace, and protect the civil rights of all people. Neec had a passion for equity, justice and love. She worked as a union organizer with migrant farmers in Texas, sat as a Senior Member of the National Labor Relations Advisory Board, and championed the rights of meatpacking workers, among many other efforts for justice. Her life’s work was dedicated to the hope of a better world and better tomorrow.
This annual fellowship helps continue Neec’s passion for social justice, equity, and advocacy. The fellowship is a full-time 10-week position designed to provide a young adult first-hand experience with full-time social justice advocacy work connected to improving the lives of working Nebraskans and advancing economic justice.
Learn more about Neec Bowyer from the tributes from the American Sustainable Business Network and Omaha Together One Community (OTOC).
Support the fund
You can support the fellowship program and future fellows by contributing online to the Neec Bowyer Good Trouble Fellowship fund. Checks may also be mailed payable to Nebraska Appleseed with “Neec Bowyer Fund” in the memo to the following address: Neece Bowyer Good Trouble Fellowship Fund, Nebraska Appleseed, PO Box 83613, Lincoln, NE 68501-3613
Donations to Nebraska Appleseed (a 501c3 nonprofit organization) are tax deductible.