Gambling with the Good Life
Pat Loontjer Starts at the Grassroots
Pat Loontjer’s voice on the phone sounds a bit out of breath. She’s going over her day’s adventures and it’s nearly exhausting to keep up with this nearly sixty-something’s social calendar.
“I get my energy from the Lord,” Loontjer said during the phone interview. “I also have a crusader complex—I see a wrong being done and hop on the white horse and fix it.”
Born and raised in Maryland, at the age of 19, her marriage to a soldier from Nebraska brought her to the Great Plains and even greater plans. In 1995 she was a stay at home mom of five children when then newly elected State Senator Jim Jensen, arranged a talk with his constituent.
Loontjer talked with Senator Jensen and she was immediately drawn to his passion against casino and gambling lobbyists.
“What bothered me the most and Jim Jensen,” she said, “is that there was no opposition. No one was minding the store. He told me ‘I really think we have something. We have at least one voice.’ He believed in it and he believed in me.”
And so began her crusade to end gambling in Nebraska. She personally sent over 2,000 letters that covered nearly every church in the state. Loontjer was asked to testify in Lincoln, the state’s capital city.
“I don’t think I’d ever been at the State Capital,” she said proudly. “We beat them 36-9. We became the only state in the union that beat a casino three times in one year.”
Grassroots Grandma
Loontjer’s enthusiasm for her faith, family and community is evident in her energy. And she does it all from her one-bedroom, very modest apartment. So simple, in fact, that her daily ritual is to stack the bins and files for work on her bed and take one small step to her computer.
At night, the take down process begins.
“It’s a hoot!” Loontjer said. “Someone once called me ‘The Bedroom Crusader.’ I’ve also been called the ‘Grassroots Grandma.’ And it’s been to my advantage. I have my headset and I call the different media all day. I don’t use Facebook or MySpace or podcasts, I have my one little computer and use the Excel program.”
Diverse but Unified Board
Gambling with the Good Life is made up of an executive board that includes several well-known Nebraska businessmen and women. The divers group includes political parties, different races and religious beliefs.
“We agree on nothing except preventing gambling,” Loontjer said. “We really love each other—even the agnostic member. It’s got to be a God thing. We know it’s a miracle.”
Great Experiences and Great Energy
Though she’s shared meals with Warren Buffett, Tom Osborne and generally a who’s who of Nebraska, Lootjer continues to share her zest for life with anyone willing to join. Certainly not one to sit at home during the week, she’s also the founding member of the Fun People Club—a social group that rendez vous at anything from vacations in Dallas to a night at the movies.
“I started the Fun People Club about five years ago,” she said. “It started with a newsletter where I basically said who wants to play with me!”
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