Routes to belonging with CERTs’ Keely Rau

In early 2020, Rau had just landed her first professional role out of college with Twin Cities Co-op Partners. After years as a server in local restaurants, she launched her career with a job in events and catering. But that bright beginning quickly turned into something much more weighty.

“The pandemic upended everything and my role shifted within the organization to try and meet that,” she recalls. 

Almost overnight, Rau stepped into a new position as Curbside Coordinator at The Wedge Co-op in Linden Hills. The job didn’t come with any blueprints. She helped design and launch an entirely new curbside grocery program by coordinating logistics, scheduling staff, hiring, training, and managing anything that needed to be done.

“It was a scary time but I learned a lot,” says Rau. “I learned to think on my feet, problem solve, and go to where the need is.”

Thanks to her leadership and adaptability, the co-op was able to continue feeding the community when people needed it most.

After the upheaval of the pandemic, Rau knew it was time for a new direction, but wanted one that still kept community at its heart. Following the pandemic, she signed on with AmeriCorps, joining Ampact’s Climate Impact Corps as a Sustainability Project Coordinator at GPI.

During her year of service, Rau supported Metro CERT initiatives focused on energy equity, organizing energy efficiency outreach at manufactured home parks and food shelves across the Metro region. When Climate Impact Corps members were invited to visit the White House in celebration of the Inflation Reduction Act and Earth Day, Rau attended and met former President Biden and other national leaders.

After her AmeriCorps term, Rau accepted a full-time role with CERTs and GPI, continuing the work she believes in, reducing energy burdens in underserved communities and building lasting, local connections. One of her most rewarding efforts is helping lead the Community Energy Ambassadors program, which equips individuals across Minnesota to identify energy needs in their communities and take action.

“I truly enjoy connecting with people, and the Community Energy Ambassadors program allows me to do that every day,” says Rau. “It’s about helping people name the needs in their communities, and then supporting them as they respond.”

She notes that this year’s Earth Day felt different from the last, less celebratory and more uncertain, as political focus shifts away from environmental priorities. But even amid that, Rau remains optimistic.

“The Community Energy Ambassador program gives me so much hope,” she shares. “People continue to come to us wanting to do more. They’re looking for ways to lead, to learn, to serve. Helping them find those routes to community leadership, that’s what fuels me on my journey.”