Photo Credit: Theresa Trimble, Iowans in Action Honorable Mention
January 2022 Newsletter
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Keep Iowa Beautiful is Seeking New Hometown Pride County/Community Partners |
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There's no time like the present to become a Hometown Pride community and ensure this year is the year your community plan and visions gain the resources needed to become a reality.
Through the Hometown Pride program, Keep Iowa Beautiful provides dedicated community coaches to assist local residents, city councils, city clerks, city managers, and other community leaders in navigating resources and overcoming obstacles to completing beautification and community improvement projects.
Hear more from our partners throughout the state:
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"The Hometown Pride program has a proven record of helping to create a new community vision and enabling residents to implement the vision by re-invigorating civic pride."
– Jeff Davidson, Executive Director, Jasper County Economic Development, former Keep Iowa Beautiful Hometown Pride Community Coach for Jasper County
"For too long, we citizens of Fremont County spent too much time and effort competing against each other instead of working together. Hometown Pride brought us a new workable approach."
– Earl Hendrickson, Fremont County Supervisor
"Hometown Pride has produced numerous projects in each of our communities, encouraged community involvement and pride, brought in hundreds of thousands in grant support. It's had a huge impact on our small towns."
– Tom Grau, Pocahontas Development Director
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Over the course of five years, you can expect Hometown Pride to:
- Provide professional assistance through community coaching
- Furnish a toolkit of programs that can help the community
- Increase the effectiveness of local tools/programs
- Involve youth through service learning
- Build stronger more vibrant communities
- Support and grow investments in the local community foundation
- Empower local citizens and provide needed skill training
Ready to consider Hometown Pride for your community? Learn more about your next steps here. Or contact Keep Iowa Beautiful for more information here.
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Keep Iowa Beautiful will be featured at RAGBRAI XLIX Announcement Party on January 28 in continuing partnership with the Iowa cycling community |
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A frequent descriptor of an idea that has gained traction is that it has legs. The Keep Iowa Beautiful “Karras Cart” initiative has wheels. Previously, our invitation to assist local communities connected with RAGBRAI was located on the 237th page of the overnight manual for host communities. In 2022, Keep Iowa Beautiful will be encouraging trail and park litter removal as an exhibitor at the official RAGBRAI XLIX Announcement Party to be held in Des Moines on January 28.
The partnership with the Iowa cycling community honors RAGBRIA Co-Founder John Karras, remembered as an avid cyclist and passionate outdoorsman. The booth will feature:
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Karras memorabilia display at our booth, including his beloved carbon fiber bicycle.
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For sale, with a portion of proceeds benefitting Keep Iowa Beautiful in Karras' memory, are two RAYGUN t-shirts with famous Karras quotes.
- Those growing fleet of “Karras Carts,” a bicycle cart attachment allowing for easier litter removal on trails.
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Community organizations attending the event are invited to enter a drawing to win a “Karras Cart!” The prize cart was created by the world-renowned custom bike company based in Des Moines, Diamond Bikes. Leading by example, Diamond Bikes Founder TJ Tollakson has also committed to assisting with the maintenance of the trail adopted by Keep Iowa Beautiful volunteers across the river from the “diamond mine.” With these added tools are increased efforts for the beautification of Iowa throughout the state!
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Join Keep Iowa Beautiful at the
RAGBRAI XLIX Announcement Party
Where: Hy-Vee Hall B, Iowa Events Center
When: Friday, Jan. 28 from 7-11 p.m.
Cost: $55, ticket sales supporting the Iowa Bicycle Coalition
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Vote now on social media for the 12th Annual Keep Iowa Beautiful Public Favorite Award |
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Vote now on your FAVORITE Iowa moment captured by the winners of the 12th Annual Photography Contest! The five first-place photos have been selected by a panel of judges and announced on Keep Iowa Beautiful social media. Now it’s YOUR TURN to pick the Public Favorite Award!
To vote for the Public Favorite Award:
2. “Like” the photo that makes you most proud of Iowa’s beauty
You can also help your favorite photo win by sharing the post and encouraging your family and friends to vote as well! Voting closes at midnight on January 31.
While on our page, check that you’re “following” to receive Keep Iowa Beautiful updates.
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IMPORTANT: Keep Iowa Beautiful Application Deadlines Approaching! |
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Keep Iowa Beautiful Annual High School Senior Scholarships
Keep Iowa Beautiful will award three $1,000 scholarships to Iowa high school seniors in 2022 who plan to enroll in an Iowa college or university. The scholarships are in honor of three pioneers in Keep Iowa Beautiful’s 21-year history—Bob Byers, William Fultz, and Gerald Schnepf.
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The Byers Scholarship is supporting high school students who plan to enroll and study environmental science, community development, landscape architecture or architecture (historical emphasis) or community planning and sustainability.
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The Schnepf Scholarship will be awarded to a senior who has a record of community service and a desire to continue to support and contribute to the enhancement of the place they live and work. College programs could include community & regional planning and volunteer management.
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The Fultz Scholarship will be awarded to a senior planning on studying communications, public relations and/or marketing.
“KIB seeks to foster positive values in younger generations and reinforce them in older generations. We encourage respect for home, neighborhood, community and state,” said Kevin Techau, Keep Iowa Beautiful Executive Director.
Since the founding of the scholarship program, Keep Iowa Beautiful has awarded $51,000 to 61 students. Applications are due Friday, February 11 and applicants can expect notification in March.
To learn more and for students to submit their applications, click here.
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Paint Iowa Beautiful Grant
Keep Iowa Beautiful and Diamond Vogel Paint are pleased to announce the 2022 Paint Iowa Beautiful program. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of community projects throughout Iowa. Administered through Keep Iowa Beautiful with the paint provided by the Diamond Vogel Paint Company.
“The partnership with Keep Iowa Beautiful allows Diamond Vogel to assist and work with many local volunteers that help build communities, making Iowa a great place to live,” said Doug Vogel, Vice President, Marketing, of the Iowa-based company. “This is a great opportunity for Iowans to improve the attractiveness of their community.”
Kevin Techau, Executive Director of Keep Iowa Beautiful added, “The Paint Iowa Beautiful program helps increase our assistance to communities, neighborhoods, historic projects and volunteer organizations improve attractiveness and beauty across Iowa.”
In the 19-year partnership with Keep Iowa Beautiful, Diamond Vogel has awarded over 11,860 gallons of paint for 1,132 community projects in Iowa.
The online grant application is now open to Iowans and can be completed and submitted by Monday, February 14.
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Get inspired by recent Paint Iowa Beautiful successes:
Warren County's Celebration Mural (left), Decorah's Art Haus (right), Cedar Rapids' "Homage to Immigrants" (bottom)
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Derelict Building Grant Program Applications Open Until February 25 |
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The Derelict Building Program is available for Iowa towns of 5,000 or fewer residents to address neglected commercial or public structures that have sat vacant for at least 6 months. Applications are due on Tuesday, February 25.
FY23 application deadline is approaching quickly for applicants who are seeking funding assistance with conducting asbestos inspections, asbestos abatement, structural engineering analysis, phase I and phase II site assessments, building deconstruction and building renovation expenses.
The DNR Derelict Building Grant Program was instituted by statute to help rural communities remove environmental hazards, improve community appearance and minimize costs by recycling and reusing building materials through deconstruction or renovation of abandoned, derelict buildings.
To learn more and start your community’s application, click here.
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Build with Bags Grant Program Applications Open Until March 30 |
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Could your community benefit from the purchase of recycled plastic playground equipment, benches and tables, and other like-items for outdoor public recreation areas? Funds are available through the Build with Bags grant due Wednesday, March 30.
The primary goal of Build with Bags is to tackle an environmental concern that has been receiving a great deal of attention – the use of plastic shopping bags.
The goals of the Build with Bags program are for Iowans to:
- Reduce the consumption of plastic bags.
- Encourage the use of reusable bags.
- Increase the amount of plastic bags recycled.
- Establish and a grant program to aid parks and schools in purchasing products made of recycled plastic bags.
By providing a monetary incentive for communities to develop their plastic bag recycling efforts, and directing grant awards to purchase products made of recycled plastic bags for their schools and parks, the fund both decreases plastic in landfills or as litter and increases demand for recycled plastic products.
The Build with Bags program is a cooperative effort of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, Keep Iowa Beautiful, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Metro Waste Authority and Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls.
To learn more and start your community’s application, click here.
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When you see litter happening on Iowa’s roadways from a vehicle, Call 1-888-665-4887
Please provide as much detail about the incident as possible:
- License plate number
- Time and specific location (street & city)
- What was thrown from the vehicle
- A vehicle description (color, make and model)
Call 1.888.NOLITTR (1-888-665-4887) to report littering from a vehicle.
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Social Media Submissions
Keep Iowa Beautiful wants to share your community’s good news!
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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!
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!
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Your Support Matters!
Keep Iowa Beautiful is a non-profit organization and, as such, relies on your support to ensure the success of our environmental education and community outreach programs.
Donations will help KIB's efforts to support our community. Any amount is valued and appreciated.
Donations can be made online or checks can be mailed to our office:
Keep Iowa Beautiful
2910 Westown Pkwy #302,
West Des Moines, IA 50266
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KEEP IOWA BEAUTIFUL
2910 Westown Parkway, Suite 302 | West Des Moines, IA 50266
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