We Are Hiring!

Hometown Pride Coach for Northwest Iowa

Are you passionate about the success of small towns? Keep Iowa Beautiful and its partner communities are seeking an experienced community development professional to serve as the Community Coach for the Hometown Pride program in Northwest Iowa.

The Hometown Pride Coach will work with local leaders to establish and support a Hometown Pride program in participating towns (clustered in and around Buena Vista County). The “coach” provides long-term strategic direction and support to each town, empowering local volunteers to complete community betterment projects that will: cultivate local leadership, enhance community amenities, foster civic pride, and boost economic vitality.

To view the Community Coach job description and instructions on how to apply, click here.

Part-Time Administrative Coordinator

Keep Iowa Beautiful is growing and looking for the next member of our team! If you have strong organization and communication skills and are looking for a flexible and supportive work environment, we want to talk to you. The Administrative Coordinator will provide administrative support for our programs and administrative assistance to the Executive Director for 15-20 hours per week. This role is ideal for someone who is organized, has strong communication skills, and enjoys working with a variety of stakeholders.

To view the Administrative Coordinator job description and instructions on how to apply, click here.

The 15th Annual Keep Iowa Beautiful

Photography Contest is Open for Submissions

Keep Iowa Beautiful encourages anyone interested to submit their photos in our 15th Annual Photo Contest, which includes cash awards totaling over $2,000!

Six categories for entries:

• Iowa Landscape
• Iowa Water
• Iowa Cities
• Iowans in Action
• Iowa Wildlife
• Hometown Pride

To view prior winners, read the contest rules, and submit entries until Friday, December 13th, click here. We can't wait to see your beautiful photographs!

Paint Iowa Beautiful Grants Help

Communities with Revitalization

Through Keep Iowa Beautiful's longstanding partnership with Diamond Vogel, the Paint Iowa Beautiful program awards grants to local volunteers and organizations for community improvement projects. This furthers Keep Iowa Beautiful's mission and our belief that well-maintained and painted buildings reflect pride in our communities.

Northeast Iowa Wellness and Recreation Center

Check out the recently completed Paint Iowa Beautiful project at the Northeast Iowa Wellness and Recreation Center in Postville, Iowa! This shared space, used by both the Center and Postville Community Schools, is a high-traffic area that was in need of a paint refresh. Thanks to the hard work of volunteers and our partnership with Diamond Vogel, the women's and men's locker rooms, as well as restrooms, now have fresh coats of paint! A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this project a success!

Millersburg's City Park

The City of Millersburg recently completed a Paint Iowa Beautiful project, revitalizing their City Park playground with fresh coats of paint. Volunteers worked hard to strip away layers of old paint and breathe new life into the playground equipment, including two swing sets, a merry-go-round, teeter-totters, two basketball poles, and a multi-purpose wooden play structure. They also spruced up the park’s picnic shelter. This marks the first time in many years that the city has been able to make such improvements. A big shoutout to all the dedicated volunteers who contributed their time and effort to bring this project to life!

Camelot Theater Foundation

The Camelot Theater Foundation in Nevada, Iowa, recently put their Paint Iowa Beautiful grant to great use, transforming the interior walls and ceilings of the newly renovated stairwell and two one-bedroom apartments above the historic theater. Once the apartments are finished, rental income will help sustain the preservation of the building. Thanks to the dedication of volunteers, board members, donors, and grantors, the Foundation made tremendous progress throughout the summer, moving closer to ensuring the theater remains a vibrant part of the community for years to come!

New Market Revitalizes Several Areas in Town

This summer, the City of New Market took on several beautification projects with the help of a Paint Iowa Beautiful grant! Starting with Main Street, they refreshed up the parking lines and curbs, giving the whole block a cleaner, more polished look. Ten gallons of white paint were used to brighten up the gable end of the Public Library. At the City Park, the exterior of the park restrooms and privacy screen were revitalized with a fresh coat of paint. Lastly, the Miner Pavilion was spruced up by painting the trim and the back restroom entrances. These efforts not only enhance the appearance of the town but also help foster a great sense of pride in the community. New Market and the surrounding community are excited to continue these beautification efforts in the future!

Click here to learn more about our Paint Iowa Beautiful program.

Hometown Pride News and Updates

Norwalk's 2024 Music Fest

Norwalk Hometown Pride hosted the 2024 Norwalk Music Fest last month at Norwalk City Park, bringing the community together for an unforgettable day of live music by Central Iowa musicians, delicious food vendors, and fun games and activities for all ages. A heartfelt thank you to the incredible volunteers and community members who made this event such a success!

Delaware Park Refresh

Last month, Delaware Hometown Pride got ready for their City Park’s annual community picnic by assembling new swings, repainting the merry-go-round, and pouring concrete for adult swings as part of the park’s revitalization efforts. During the community picnic, the City of Delaware, Iowa celebrated the many projects that have helped refresh their park. A huge thank you to all the dedicated volunteers, park committee members, and city leaders whose hard work made these improvements possible!



To learn more about the City of Delaware's ribbon cutting for Phase 1 of their Park Project, click here.

Varina's New Handicapped-Accessible Sidewalk

Varina Hometown Pride has successfully completed Phase 1 of their new handicapped-accessible sidewalk project at their City Park. This initiative reflects the committee's commitment to improving accessibility to the park's amenities for all residents and visitors. Phase 1 involved the removal of deteriorated sections of the old sidewalk and the installation of 340 feet of a new, 10-foot-wide concrete sidewalk.

Click here to learn more about our Hometown Pride program.

Volunteer Spotlight - Elizabeth Feldmann

This month, Keep Iowa Beautiful is shining a spotlight on another incredible volunteer, Elizabeth Feldmann, who is a dedicated member of the Ryan Hometown Pride committee. Elizabeth took the initiative to establish the committee last year and stepped up to the role of chairperson. We appreciate her efforts in benefiting the community. Learn more about her valuable contributions below!

"Elizabeth Feldmann is an exceptional member of our Ryan Hometown Pride committee. Elizabeth led the push to formalize the committee last year and stepped up to the chairperson role. Elizabeth also was instrumental in landing an $8,000 Minnesota Twins ballpark grant and an extra $5,000 funding source that will substantially fund phase II of our current project, the pickleball court. Elizabeth has done all of this while raising a young family. We are lucky to have her and grateful for all she's doing for Ryan!" – Dan LoBianco, Ryan Hometown Pride Coach

Social Media Submissions

Keep Iowa Beautiful wants to share your community’s good news!



Are you proud of a completed project in your town? Do you want to show off a new mural in your downtown? Did you host a fun, exciting event for your community? We want to know about it!

Tag us on social media or click on the button below to share short descriptions of events, projects, or news from your town! You can include pictures and captions as well. Keep Iowa Beautiful will share your post on our social media!