Posted December 03, 2025in Your Neighbors
The United Way of Central Iowa has been in operation since 1917. Though it has operated under a number of different names since its inception, its goal of uniting the community and its various charitable efforts to make central Iowa a better place remains the same. One of its employees,
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Posted November 05, 2025in Your Neighbors
The Eastern Polk County Quilters Guild had some simple missions as of a few months ago: make some stockings, and help supply care packages for the Blue Star Mothers of Iowa, a nonprofit of mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers and female legal guardians who have children serving in the military,
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Posted October 01, 2025in Your Neighbors
While the Des Moines Civic Center and Des Moines Performing Arts often take the spotlight for theatre in Des Moines, a few local community theatres are also flourishing in the metro. One of those is Tallgrass Theater Company in West Des Moines. Few have done more for the theatre’s advancement
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Posted September 03, 2025in Your Neighbors
Patrons of the Des Moines Farmers Market might have noticed a wild-looking mascot during this season’s farmers market, courtesy of Jennifer Hess, owner of Psycho Sweets. Like many, Hess learned to bake from her mother. While her mom perhaps didn’t show her the wild side of what treats can be,
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Posted August 06, 2025in Your Neighbors
Iowa Juneteenth hosted Neighbor’s Day, a celebration of Juneteenth, in Western Gateway Park in June. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on Jan. 1, 1863, it was not until June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston,
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Posted July 02, 2025in Your Neighbors
The mission statement for Mentor Iowa, an organization founded in 1974, is to provide trained volunteer mentors to at-risk children in need of a positive adult role model. They do this by working in partnership with the children, their families and the community. Executive Director Marty Lester has led that
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Posted June 04, 2025in Your Neighbors
Helping build leaders for the future is no small task. That is what Lead DSM has been trying to do for 40 years. Lately, the organization has had the help of a mentor from its Community Connect Program, Brianne Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has bounced around Iowa her entire life. She grew
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Posted April 30, 2025in Your Neighbors
Crayons are a staple in art education for those in elementary school. The coolest kids and classrooms had the best colors, a sharpener and more crayons than one knew what to do with. What is often forgotten is what becomes of crayons near the end of their lifecycle — but
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Posted April 02, 2025in Your Neighbors
Kathleen Davenport has experienced quite the rise in her 10 years of employment at Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS). She was an art teacher at Howe Elementary, Madison Elementary and Findley Elementary, then added arts integration coach to her title, and, since 2020, has been the art curriculum coordinator at
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Posted March 05, 2025in Your Neighbors
The soccer community in Iowa is a strong one. There is a sense of belonging that spans generations of players who chose to play the game over Iowa’s more popular sports like football, basketball or wrestling. People like Ben Brackett and the members of the Kick It Forward (KIF) team
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