Everyday people: Amsden enjoys the variety of working with a lot of different groups

Those who have volunteered for events or projects in Red Wing likely have seen or worked with Megan Amsden.

She has helped coordinate the Mississippi Shuffle, Veteran’s Day events, St. Brigid’s Festival of Trees, Red Wing in Bloom along with a number of other events and projects in recent years.

Amsden also participated in the Blandin Community Leadership Program in January. She was part of the Idea Slam leadership team and plans to work with one of the grant money winners from the event, Friends of the Bluffs.

A Burnsville, Minn., native, Amsden started work at the St. James Hotel after graduating from Winona State University. In 2006, she went to work for the city doing communications.

Amsden worked on the sesquicentennial celebrations in 2007 through her job at the city.

“It was my first time coordinating a big event,” she said. “That’s where I got the itch. It was lots of fun.”

After that, Amsden started volunteering for other events and groups.

“I slowly started helping out with things here and there,” she said. “I developed a huge network that way.”

As she gets more involved she also gets many more offers and requests to volunteer, she said. But if it’s a cause she believes or is interested in, she likely will find the time, she said.

“Whatever I see that needs help, I like to help where I can,” she said.

Working on so many projects with different people could seem exhausting. But Amsden enjoys the variety.

“That’s actually my favorite part, working with all the different groups and people,” she said. “I learn so much. It broadens my knowledge base.”

How does she keep track of it all? “I’m very organized, especially electronically,” she said.

Both of Amsden’s parents are from Springfield, Minn., where her grandfather was involved in the community as well, she said.

“My list and his list are very similar, which is really cool,” Amsden said.

“I like to be involved. I like to be a problem solver,” she added. “I love change, especially for the betterment of the community.”

In her current job as marketing coordinator for St. Brigid’s at Hi-Park, Amsden is involved in communications and marketing strategies, coordinates events, manages the website and social media and designs invitations, posters, brochures and the like.

“I love my job,” she said. It allows her to meet people and utilize her interest in design. She also enjoys working with the elderly, she said.

Amsden said she likely will stay in Red Wing for the foreseeable future.

The town and area suits Amsden, her fiancé, Pat, and her red lab. They enjoy hiking, walking and being outside as much as possible. They also have a cabin they travel to often, and Amsden plays softball, a sport she has been involved in since age 5.

“I’m not a TV person, I’m not a couch potato.” she said.

She also enjoys the people and atmosphere here.

“One thing I’ve noticed here, the willingness to give in this community is unheard of anywhere else,” Amsden said. “The sense of community is really high here. You can see it everywhere.”

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