Stacy Pauli Ringing Up Service for Cubs, Blackhawks

Stacy Pauli '11 said she has received so much more than she's given during a life of charity work.

The intrinsic rewards come from feeding her Ambrosian instinct to enrich lives. More tangible evidence, however, includes the 2016 World Series ring earned by working for her favorite baseball team's Cubs Charities.

The ring was an unexpected reward for the part-time crew who canvas the crowd at every Wrigley Field game, selling 50/50 raffle tickets to benefit the city's at-risk youth.

"I only wear mine during the playoffs to try and bring the Cubs a little luck," Pauli said "It's not as big or as flashy as the players' rings, but it's still pretty big and heavy on my finger, and I use my hands a lot in this job. Plus, I'm afraid somebody will take it."

Pauli realized a childhood dream of working for the Cubs in 2015 when a co-worker with hockey's Chicago Blackhawks Foundation invited her to also help at the Friendly Confines.

She had started with the Blackhawks as a favor to another friend, a front-office staffer looking for help to launch the NHL team's charity during the 2013 season, when the club won the first of two Stanley Cups in three seasons.

Pauli juggles working for both teams with her full-time job in sales for USA Today. She's also a volunteer chairperson for the Schaumburg chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's national One Walk fundraiser.

"We get paid minimum wage for staffing the games, but there's so many perks for me personally that I would do these jobs for free," said Pauli, who hails from the Chicago suburb of Elburn.

"I was standing 10 rows up from the glass when the Blackhawks won the Cup in 2015 at home at the United Center," she said. "I'm a huge hockey and Blackhawks fan, so that's something I'll never forget."

Pauli showed a charitable spirit at St. Ambrose while earning a Bachelor of Arts degree as a double major in sports management and marketing, with a minor in public relations.

"My first semester I had 18 credits," said Pauli, who served internships with three minor-league sports teams during her SAU career. "I also was involved in Habitat for Humanity, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Even with a heavy class load, giving back was something I wanted to continue to do."

For Pauli, practicing Ambrosian service has become a way of being.

"At Ambrose, the students are encouraged to serve the community," Pauli said. "And the Ambrosian mission after leaving campus is to continue to serve others."

That "diamond" ring on Pauli's finger certainly symbolizes her commitment.

"It's easy to feel like your life is on repeat," Pauli said about continually rushing from one job to the next. "So sometimes I take it for granted. But it's nice to remember the reasons I'm there and see the bigger picture of how fortunate I am."

–Steve Tappa '91