Celebrating those who make Iowa great! | | |
In this issue, we celebrate the winners of our Annual Awards and scholarships, recognizing individuals, businesses, communities, and organizations that simply shine when it comes to improving Iowa communities. We will showcase the 2026 Paint Iowa Beautiful grant recipients, whose plans to transform their communities will create visible hometown pride. We will also celebrate our staff and board for some incredible honors!
There’s a famous line we all know well: "Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa." These remarkable individuals, towns and organizations across our state are making sure that difference stays hard to spot. We are reminded that a beautiful Iowa doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through the dedication of residents like you who believe that our environment is worth protecting and our communities are worth perfecting.
With gratitude,
The Keep Iowa Beautiful Team
| | 2026 Annual Award Winners | | |
Keep Iowa Beautiful
Service Award - 25 Years
Mike Richardson
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Donald F. Lamberti
Hometown Pride Vision Award
Shawna Jayne
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Robert D. Ray
Community Award for Excellence
City of Lake View
(Hometown Pride Community)
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Robert D. Ray
Community Award for Excellence
City of Bondurant
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Keep Iowa Beautiful
Corporate Award for Excellence
Fareway
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Keep Iowa Beautiful
Organization Award for Excellence
Iowa Area Development Group
| | Photo Credit: Brent Isenberger Photography | |
| To read more about our 2026 Keep Iowa Beautiful Award winners, click here! | | 2026 Scholarship Recipients | | | | |
Madie Deutmeyer
Ryan, Iowa
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Max Trujillo-Garcia
Guthrie Center, Iowa
| | To read more about Keep Iowa Beautiful Award scholarships, click here! | |
Iowa Rural Development Council Award |
Celebrating Keep Iowa Beautiful!
We are proud to be the recipient a Rand Fisher Rural Business Leadership Award by the Iowa Rural Development Council! The award was presented recently in Dubuque at the Iowa Rural Development Council's annual conference, the Iowa Rural Summit.
The Rand Fisher Rural Leadership Award, sponsored by the IADG Community Foundation, recognizes individuals and organizations for their leadership and impact on small towns across the state.
Read Keep Iowa Beautiful's recent press release to find out more about this award and the statewide efforts that garnered our nomination!
| Pictured, L-R: Bruce Nuzum, Liesl Seabert (board chair),
Andy Frantz (executive director),Lorin Ditzler (associate director), Rand Fisher | | | |
Keep Iowa Beautiful Board Chair Receives High Honor
Keep Iowa Beautiful is proud share that Liesl Seabert, board chair, has been selected as a member of the Des Moines Business Record 2026 40 Under 40 class!
The honorees—nominated and selected by past award recipients—exemplify what it means to balance a high-achieving career with a dedication to community engagement.
Congratulations Liesl! We are so proud of you and couldn't be happier to have you as our leader!
Click here to read more about Liesl's history and accomplishments.
| | 2026 Paint Iowa Beautiful Grants Awarded | |
Celebrating Partnership
Diamond Vogel is turning 100!
To celebrate their centennial, we have awarded 100 Paint Iowa Beautiful grants this year!
For over two decades, this partnership has provided free paint for volunteer-led projects that revitalize our communities. From historic libraries and schools to local parks and community centers, these grants help Iowans take pride in their public spaces.
To date, this initiative has supported over 1,600 projects, covering more than five million square feet of Iowa’s landscape. We can’t wait to see what these latest 100 winners accomplish! To learn more about Paint Iowa Beautiful or see a full list of 2026 grant winners, click here!
Thank you Diamond Vogel for this longstanding, amazing partnership!
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Pictured above are two 2025 Paint Iowa Beautiful projects.
Shelby County Wellness Alliance (L), Villisca Community Betterment Association (R)
| | Host a Pick-Up Iowa Event | |
Celebrate Your Community!
What better way to celebrate your community than to keep it beautiful!
Pick-Up Iowa runs April through June and is for everyone! Schools, service clubs, businesses, families, and volunteer groups all play a role in keeping Iowa beautiful.
This year, since we are also celebrating America's 250th birthday, we have set a goal to get 2,500 volunteers collecting 2,500 bags of litter between April and June.
Participation is easy:
✔ Choose your cleanup date (April–June)
✔ Gather your team
✔ Select your location
✔ Register your event online
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Pictured above are two Hometown Pride communities participating in Pick-Up Iowa 2025.
From top to bottom: Preston Hometown Pride, Lost Nation Hometown Pride
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Celebrating a Beautiful Iowa
Keep Iowa Beautiful is proud to release our 2025 Annual Report, commemorating another year of transformative community impact. Through your dedication, we’ve beautified communities and fueled local economic growth.
In 2025, our programs engaged more than 4,000 volunteers, supported 353 community improvement efforts and directed more than $4 million dollars for the betterment of Iowa communities.
We are deeply grateful to our donors, volunteers, and partners. Your support ensures that Iowa remains a vibrant, clean place to call home.
| | PS - The 2025 Annual Report has something BRAND new we are celebrating (and unveiling soon). See if you can figure out what it is!!! | | | | |
From painting the state beautiful to instilling civic pride in our communities, the programs we provide are thanks to donations from supporters like you!
Consider giving to Keep Iowa Beautiful to help us continue our work improving Iowa communities!
| | NEW Mailing Address & Phone Number | | |
Keep Iowa Beautiful
PO Box 1056
Johnston, IA 50131
www.keepiowabeautiful.com
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