Volunteer Iowa

Iowa is leading the way. For the second year running, we are proud to partner with —where almost 1,000young adults have served in their schools and communities to transform how young people access mental health support.

Margaret Weirich is a 2026 recipient of the Excellence in Mentoring Award. Margaret has been a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa for the past two years. She was matched with A'mya, and shortly after their first meeting, Margaret recognized that A'mya needed extra support with reading. Since that time, A'mya is more confident, has a stronger sense of belonging and has progressed academically. Learn more about Margaret's mentorship at https://volunteer.iowa.gov/iowa-mentor/excellence-mentoring-awards. Congratulations Margaret!

Maanya Pandey is a 2026 inductee into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame. In 2020 as a student at Waukee High School, Maanya founded , to ensure reliable access to menstrual products in schools and community sites. In just over five years, Love for Red has distributed more than 285,000 products to 149 Iowa organizations. Maanya has managed to demonstrate that significant impact through volunteerism can happen over a short period of time. She is a model of volunteer leadership and has created lasting, meaningful and scalable change. Learn more about Maanya's volunteerism at https://volunteer.iowa.gov/about/recognition-programs/volunteer-hall-fame. Congratulations Maanya!

Iowa Project AWARE is a 2026 inductee into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame. Founded in 2003 on the simple idea to gather volunteers to spend a week on an Iowa river to clean it up, Iowa Project AWARE has since removed over one million pounds of trash. 83% of all trash collected during river cleanups has been recycled. The program continues to build on its broad partnership network and has become a model for stewardship across the state. Learn more about Iowa Project AWARE and their volunteer cleanup efforts at https://volunteer.iowa.gov/about/recognition-programs/volunteer-hall-fame. Congratulations Iowa Project AWARE!

Gavin Gerbracht is a 2026 recipient of the Excellence in Mentoring Award. Gavin is one of the first mentors at the Edge Mentoring Program. As and 11th grade student, Gavin is constantly showing up for his mentees and the program as a whole. He has also set an example for others in the school to join the program. Learn more about Gavin and his mentoring experiences at https://volunteer.iowa.gov/iowa-mentor/excellence-mentoring-awards. Congratulations Gavin!

Dr. Jimmy Reyes is a 2026 inductee into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame. Dr. Reyes has spent the last two decades building practical systems to expand access to healthcare, especially for immigrant, refugee, rural and aging Iowans, through MyHealthIowa - MiSaludIowa. He also contributes his time to build a pipeline of providers, through unpaid guest lectures and workshops at Iowa institutions. Dr. Reyes' service expands to public health and nursing programs in Nigeria, where he mentors faculty and contributes to curriculum design. Learn more about Dr. Reyes' volunteer service at https://volunteer.iowa.gov/about/recognition-programs/volunteer-hall-fame. Congratulations Dr. Jimmy Reyes!

Tomorrow, April 30, is the LAST DAY to nominate volunteers or volunteer groups for a 2026 Governor's Volunteer Award. For details and to access the nomination form, visit https://volunteer.iowa.gov/about/recognition-programs/governors-volunteer-awards.

Deloris Clayton is a 2026 inductee into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame. At 94 years of age, Deloris continues to be an active volunteer at the Iowa Veterans Home and at UnityPoint Hospital. Deloris has served nearly 11,000 hours at the in the past 30 years. You can also find Deloris volunteering at her church and at the VFW Auxiliary. Doloris also teaches line dancing at the Marshalltown YMCA and can on occasion still be seen clogging and dancing with residents at the Iowa Veterans Home. Learn more about Deloris' service in her community at https://volunteer.iowa.gov/about/recognition-programs/volunteer-hall-fame. Congratulations Deloris!