Our latest Unsung Hero is someone that quietly goes about giving back and doesn’t want or expect any recognition in return. “I don’t volunteer in order to be recognized.” If you know Alvina Ebensteiner, this won’t surprise you!
Alvina is originally from Egeland, ND, and when she married her husband, Allen, they decided to make their home in Devils Lake. Alvina grew up on a farm so she was used to being busy and being outside working with animals on a daily basis. Now that she lived in town and had an eight to five job, she wanted to start volunteering. Being a horse lover, she found out the Ramsey Riders 4H horse club was looking for volunteers so she jumped in with both feet – that was 50 years ago! “Once I got started helping out, one thing lead to the next and here we are. It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been 50 years since I started volunteering.” said Ebensteiner.
Ebensteiner went from a volunteer to Club leader and has held that role for 35 years and counting! She has been involved with many projects and events over the years. A particularly special one that comes to mind for Alvina is the Saddle up for St. Jude fundraiser. “The St. Jude fundraiser was our daughter Amanda’s favorite event. The kids would collect donations and then we would do a trail ride and all of money was donated to St. Jude for cancer research.” said Ebensteiner. This event came full circle as Amanda was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager and received a treatment that was developed at St. Jude. Unfortunately, Amanda’s life was taken too soon by cancer, but the horses and fundraising is a fond memory for their family.
Another memorable event included moving the horse arena. “The original arena was by the airport and it needed to be moved. A group of us worked to secure the current location which is now called the Peterson Arena. It was a lot of work but this location has worked out very well.” said Ebensteiner. “We also used to have a 4H horse drill team and we would perform at the Roughrider Rodeo each year as well as at special events. The kids really enjoyed this and so did I!”
Ebensteiner’s longstanding and impactful work hasn’t gone unnoticed by the ND 4H Foundation. In 2017, Ebensteiner received the “Volunteer of the Year” award which is a state-wide award sponsored and given by the ND 4H Foundation.
Lake Region Relay for Life also holds a special place for Ebensteiner. “The first year I started volunteering was when Amanda was going through her treatments and I’ve been doing it ever since.” said Ebensteiner. In the 22 years since she has been involved, the Lake Region has raised over two million dollars and this region was even recognized at the National Convention for their fundraising efforts. Ebensteiner was also involved in starting relay events in Langdon, Rugby and Carrington.
Alvina has been a volunteer for the ND Amateur Quarter Horse Association for the past 25 years. She is currently the secretary and handles the club records, communication with members and the state of ND.
She is also the District Director for the National Barrel Horse Association and started volunteering with this organization 27 years ago. These volunteer duties include: organizing at least six barrel races per year, raising funds for prizes, tracking points for members, organizing lunch stands and recruiting volunteers to help at the races.
As if Ebensteiner isn’t busy enough with all of her volunteer efforts, she is also a Ramsey County Fair Board member. She joined this group 28 years ago and they are now in the middle of a large community project which involves building an indoor events center at Peterson Arena. “Several years ago we built the Ramsey County Events Center at Peterson Arena. This building is booked every weekend and is used for many events including: graduations, birthday parties, meetings, wedding receptions and 4H meetings, just to name a few.” said Ebensteiner. “The popularity of this building is amazing. We have occasions booked four years in advance!”
The success of the Ramsey County Events center has prompted the group to begin fundraising so another building can be added to the grounds. “We have a great need in our community for more events which is why we want to build another building.” said Ebensteiner. The additional building could be used for a multitude of events which include but are not limited to: hosting 4H events such as the 4H horse and livestock show, 4H Shooting Sports & Archery events and practices, rodeos, training for local, state and regional rural fire departments, large family reunions and community events. The capacity of the current building is 233 and the new facility has a capacity of 1000 people. “We have received several donations and are working on securing more community donations as well. We also have written numerous grants to help with the project. We hope to have the majority of the funds raised by this fall so we can begin the project.” Stated Ebensteiner. This is a huge project that Ebensteiner hopes will come to fruition and be one more vital option for the residents of the Lake Region.
When asked why she has dedicated her life to volunteering, Alvina said, “I like giving back and helping others – it’s just who I am.”
Thank you, Alvina, for going above and beyond and making the Lake Region a better place!
