Kelley Rice believes in the power to make a difference.

“I’m a strong believer that if you want to see a difference, you should be the difference,” Rice said. “I might not have control to change things at a higher level, but I can definitely make a difference in my community and make it better by doing small things.”

Rice is doing just that. She is involved in several Oswego organizations in addition to owning The Scoop ice cream shop in downtown Oswego with Christina Reynolds and owning Imagination Print & Design in downtown Oswego.

“I always loved being able to design and take it all the way to completion and seeing the finished product,” Rice said. “And having my own business was always my dream.”

She has a degree in visual communication design, with an emphasis in graphic design.

“I’m communicating through design the message that the customer wants,” Rice said. “That’s what I went to school for, and that’s what I love doing.”

Rice helps out her fellow business owners in many ways. She has served as the chairman of the board of directors for the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce.

She also is a member of the Oswego Downtown Association, an arm of the Chamber of Commerce, which hosts various events in downtown Oswego, such as the Chocolate Walk for Charity and the Bunny Hop.

“I want to help make the events more successful,” Rice said. “And it’s fun. We have so many fun events.”

She said the events are another way to bring people to downtown Oswego.

“So many people come to those events, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve never been in that shop,’ ” Rice said. “The more people that come downtown and know about all of us, the better we all are.”

For more than 10 years, Rice has also been involved in the Oswego Junior Woman’s Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting women, children and families in Oswego and surrounding communities through volunteer services and philanthropy.

She chairs the group’s fundraising committee.

“The club itself does so many great things,” Rice said. “I’m just playing a small part in being on the fundraising committee with a group of really fabulous ladies. But it’s fun. We have a lot of fun raising money.”

That includes hosting a Wig Crawl every year.

Rice also serves on the board for the Oswego Foundation for Educational Excellence.

“We provide grants for teachers in SD308,” Rice said. “This past year, we gave out about $15,000 in grants to different teachers.”

She juggles all these activities with being a mom. Rice and her husband have a 10-year-old son who is in fourth grade at Boulder Hill Elementary School.

“I really try to be present wherever I am,” Rice said. “So if I’m at work, I’m focused on work and if I’m at home, I’m focused on what is going on at home. I think it is really important to be present and take time for your family.”

Angie Hibben, president and chief executive officer of the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce, said she appreciates everything Rice does.

“She’s been amazing,” Hibben said.