April is Keep Iowa Beautiful Month!

Governor Kim Reynolds has officially proclaimed April as Keep Iowa Beautiful Month, continuing a longstanding tradition that highlights the importance of community pride and environmental stewardship. The proclamation encourages all Iowans to participate in local programs that promote cleanliness, beautification, and sustainability in their communities and across the state. For over a decade, Iowa governors have honored April as Keep Iowa Beautiful Month, urging residents to take action in preserving the natural beauty of the state through community-led efforts.

Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer joined us at the Iowa State Capitol on Wednesday, April 23 to commemorate the occasion during Keep Iowa Beautiful's annual awards and scholarships ceremony.

The 2025 Keep Iowa Beautiful Annual Awards honor individuals, communities, organizations, and businesses that demonstrate exceptional commitment to enhancing the beauty, sustainability, and livability of Iowa’s communities.

The 2025 Keep Iowa Beautiful Scholarship Awards recognize three outstanding Iowa high school seniors for their dedication to improving their communities through service, leadership, and environmental stewardship. Each student received a $1,000 scholarship to support their continued education at an Iowa college or university.

2025 Annual Award Recipients

2025 Scholarship Recipients

Their dedication to Keep Iowa Beautiful’s mission, and to the communities they serve, is truly inspiring. Thank you for helping make our great state shine — we are incredibly grateful for all that you do. Congratulations!

Photo Credit: Brent Isenberger Photography

Golf Tournament Hole Sign Sponsorship Opportunity!

Keep Iowa Beautiful's 4th Annual Golf Tournament is happening on Tuesday, July 15th, 2025 at Copper Creek Golf Club in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Show your support by becoming a hole sign sponsor for $150. ⛳

Why sponsor?

• It's a great way to support a meaningful cause and gain valuable exposure

Sponsorship benefits:

• Your brand seen by 200+ attendees at our annual golf event
• Recognition in our Annual Report
• Shout-outs on our social media channels and website
• Proudly align your name with Keep Iowa Beautiful's mission to empower Iowans to bring cultural and economic vitality into communities through improvement and enhancement programs

Want to get involved?

• Email Sarah Lettow at slettow@keepiowabeautiful.com to reserve your spot and learn more

Congratulations to the 2025 Paint Iowa Beautiful Award Recipients

Thanks to our longstanding partnership with Diamond Vogel, 87 communities across Iowa will receive free paint to support local beautification efforts through our Paint Iowa Beautiful Program.

Over the past 21 years, Diamond Vogel has partnered with Keep Iowa Beautiful to provide paint to cover more than five million square feet of surface area—supporting 1,564 community projects statewide. We can’t wait to see the positive impact this year’s projects will bring to Iowa’s communities!

View the full list of grant recipients here.

Don't Forget: Host a Pick-Up Iowa Event!

April has been full of Pick-Up Iowa cleanup events across the state, and we’re proud of the incredible community efforts that keep Iowa’s public spaces clean and beautiful.

This spring, we’re calling on organizations and residents to join the movement—register to host a Pick-Up Iowa event in your community and help us reach our statewide goal of 2,500 volunteers collecting 2,500 bags of litter.

Check out some recent Pick-Up Iowa cleanup event highlights below!

Simpson College & Indianola Main Street

Volunteers from Simpson College and Indianola Main Street hosted a successful Pick-Up Iowa cleanup event in Indianola! 17 volunteers collected 60 bags of trash at the Indianola Downtown Square. Thank you for your collective efforts in keeping the community clean!

Greenbush Acres

Greenbush Acres volunteers recently participated in a Pick-Up Iowa cleanup event! Ten volunteers of all ages came together along Adopt-A-Highway R57 to collect 8 bags of litter—and even held a friendly competition to see who could find the most interesting treasures. This dedicated group has been cleaning up the roadside twice a year for several years. Thank you for your continued commitment to community and conservation!

Lime Springs Park and Recreation Board

The Lime Springs Park and Recreation Board recently hosted a successful Pick-Up Iowa cleanup event at the city park in Lime Springs! A group of 20 volunteers of all ages came together to pick up litter, rake leaves, level sand and woodchips, gather sticks, and mow the park. Their hard work helped beautify the space for everyone to enjoy!

Over 50 groups have signed up so far! Register to host your own Pick-Up Iowa cleanup event now through June 30th by clicking the button below.

Hometown Pride Highlights

Hills Hometown Pride

Hills Hometown Pride celebrated the grand opening of Songbird Sanctuary Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Earth Day, a fitting tribute to the collaboration and care that made the project possible.

Designed with both wildlife and the community in mind, the new green space features native plants chosen to attract Iowa’s birds—particularly those that bloom in spring and bear berries. The park will offer shelter for birds with an eastern pine tree and provide food through two bur oak trees, each supporting over 500 species of caterpillars.

The park is just one of the many accomplishments of Hills Hometown Pride since they joined the program in 2022. “Hometown Pride has been a great thing for our community,” shared City Administrator Adriane Sedlacek. Sedlacek is enthusiastic about the way that Hometown Pride has brought together residents to make things happen. “It’s not just ‘what is the city going to do next’ but ‘what are we going to do together? What do we have up our sleeve next?”

Jessica Walker, Hills Hometown Pride Coach, shared her hopes that the park becomes a haven for birds and a welcoming gathering space for residents. She also oversaw the selection of University of Iowa artist Drew Etienne to create a mural across from the park, which is set to be installed in May.

We’re excited to watch Songbird Sanctuary Park flourish as a vibrant, living part of the Hills community.

Clinton Hometown Pride

The Rotary Club of Clinton hosted the Clinton County Food Security Summit last month, bringing together Clinton Hometown Pride committee members, local organizations, and community members to address food insecurity. Keynote speaker Emily Webb highlighted the need for collective action, as food assistance requests have risen 137% in three years, according to Regan Michaelsen of the summit committee. The event fostered collaboration among agencies and organizations, strengthening efforts to combat hunger in Clinton County.