Meet Aaron Renkenberger, the Habilitation Manager of Community Based Services at Mosaic in Omaha/ Northeast Nebraska (mosaicinfo.org).
Tell us a little about your business. – Mosaic is a non-profit, whole-person healthcare organization that works primarily with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are a national organization that has rich roots here in Nebraska starting in Axtell 111 years ago.
How did you get started in the business? – I have always been involved with individuals with disabilities, my mother taught special education in Omaha for 30 years and while in undergraduate school I taught swimming lessons to youth with disabilities.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – I feel that my most important achievement professionally is the continued progress made by our individuals in living their lives in the most independent and meaningful way possible.
Tell us a little about your family. – My wife Deidra and I have been married for almost 11 years and my daughter Emily is a high school senior and will be attending Kansas State next fall. We have two cats Teegra and Odin and our dog Caoihme.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Besides spending time with my family, nothing beats a football Saturday/Sunday with the grill going!
Who inspires you? – My parents definitely inspire me. My mother taught special education her whole career and seeing her compassion and passion for making sure every single student was getting the education they deserved set the tone for how I wanted to empower the individuals I serve. I also am inspired by my father for a multitude of reasons for the father, husband and grandfather he is. If I can know/ understand a quarter of the things he knows there isn’t much I won’t be prepared for or able to do.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “People can either be a fountain or a drain, make sure that you are always a fountain for every person you meet”- This was from a coworker/ mentor I worked with and she was an incredible person that went above and beyond to build and foster relationships with everyone she met.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Rather than being remembered by a word, I want to be remembered by a smile/ laughter. I want to be remembered as putting a smile on the face of my loved ones and the people I have impacted throughout my life.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? – I would definitely love the ability to fly, it would make my commute so much easier since I could skip red lights!
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – If I could be in any profession it would have to be in Cardiac Care, I have a lot of family history with heart issues and when I was in undergraduate school I was lucky enough to intern at the Creighton Cardiac Center.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – Absolutely, I can be reached via phone at (402) 249-1758, email at aaron.renkenberger@mosaicinfo.org and you can always check us out at mosaicinfo.org and look up Mosaic in Omaha on Facebook!