Church recognized for continued service in Iowa

October 2009

First Lady Mari Culver and Robert W. Nye, Des Moines Iowa Stake president, at an award ceremony which recognized the Church and other groups and individuals for their service throughout Iowa.

Church members in Central Iowa received a Governor's Volunteer Award for their service throughout different communities of the state. In a ceremony held July 27 in Des Moines, Gov. Chester J. Culver recognized the Church as a great help in building and helping communities.

"The devotion of these volunteers helps Iowa consistently remain in the top 10 states in the nation for its voluntarism rate," said Governor Culver. "Lt. Governor (Patty) Judge, the First Lady and I are honored to have this opportunity to personally thank this year's award recipients for donating their time, dedication and talent to make a tremendous difference in our state."

United Way submitted the Church as a result of the volunteer efforts of Church members during the June 2008 flooding and on-going relief service being performed since then. The Church is an active participant in the Central Iowa Recovery Network and continues to provide service to Iowans with long-term challenges resulting from the flood.

Robert W. Nye, president of the Des Moines Iowa Stake, represented the Church, as First Lady Mari Culver recognized the service rendered by volunteers throughout the state of Iowa.

The Governor's Volunteer Award Program was established in 1982 to honor and recognize volunteers for the commitment, service and time that they contribute to Iowa's government agencies and nonprofit organizations. More than 680 volunteers were selected for awards in 2009. Volunteers may be nominated for an award in one of three categories: individual, group or length of service. And, for 2009, a special category was added to recognize disaster assistance and recovery volunteers.

The Governor's Volunteer Award program is coordinated by the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service and the Governor's Office.