DES MOINES, IOWA (September 7, 2021) — The Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to honor Iowans who have made extraordinary donations of volunteer service to their communities. Nominees must live or operate in Iowa: individuals, national service members, families, groups, organizations, non-profits, businesses, or corporations may be nominated.
Being selected is the most prestigious state-level honor volunteers can receive; the people selected have freely given their precious time and talent in countless ways to benefit others and have forever changed their community, the state, the nation, or the world.
The Excellence in Mentoring Awards, established in 2009, gives Iowa Mentor certified programs the opportunity to recognize outstanding long-time youth mentors. Individuals selected have served as a mentor a minimum of two years and exemplify both the spirit and positive benefits of mentoring.
WHAT: Volunteer Hall of Fame and Excellence in Mentoring Awards Ceremony, coordinated by Volunteer Iowa
WHO: The 2020 and 2021 Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame inductees include:
- Dr Jeffrey Akey, Hiawatha (2020)
- Jerry R Armstrong, West Des Moines (2021)
- Alan Clyde Becker, Fort Atkinson (2021)
- Boone Hope Foundation, Boone (2020)
- Gary L Lawson, West Des Moines (2020)
- Deb Pulver, West Des Moines (2020)
- Bridget D Reed, Waterloo (2021)
- Kim Seligman, Muscatine (2021)
- Mary Taylor, Cedar Falls (2021)
- Warren Van Dyke, Greene (2021)
The recipients of the 2020-2021 Excellence in Mentoring Award are:
- Chris Barnard, Davenport (Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley)
- Margaret Burns, Shenandoah (M A Y Mentoring)
WHERE: State Capitol Building, 1007 E Grand Avenue, Des Moines, 1st Floor Rotunda
WHEN: Tuesday, September 7, 2021, 2:30-3:30PM
About Volunteer IowaVolunteer Iowa and its partner agencies work with organizations and individuals on three main fronts. The first is to help agencies develop quality programs that use service as a strategy to fulfill their missions and address Iowa’s greatest areas of need. The second is to help engage Iowans in their communities by promoting service and expanding the volunteer base. Finally, the third area of work is to connect individuals with appropriate service opportunities by building the volunteer infrastructure. More information is available at volunteeriowa.org.
About Iowa MentorIowa Mentor serves as the certifying body for youth mentoring programs in Iowa, advancing the quality of the mentoring field by providing professional development; engaging stakeholders to increase the number of mentors; and creating awareness of the positive benefits of youth mentoring as a proven youth development strategy. Iowa Mentor is a collaborative program of Volunteer Iowa and works to build relationships between government, private, and public agencies in support of youth mentoring which is essential for strengthening families, communities and the state of Iowa. More information is available at iowamentoring.org.
