FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 8, 2005

CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119, lisa.lacher@drake.edu
Beth Dalbey, a288-3338, ext. 233, bethdalbey@bpcdm.com

DRAKE, BUSINESS RECORD TO HONOR SIX ACTIVISTS NOV. 15

Drake University and the Des Moines Business Record will honor six activists in a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 25th Street and University Avenue.

Winners of Central Iowa Activist Awards are

• Attorney Jonathan C. Wilson – Human Rights
• Attorney Roxanne Barton Conlin – Feminist Leader
• Former Principal Financial Group Inc. President G. David Hurd – Environmental Stewardship
• Des Moines neighborhood activist Becky Morelock - Neighborhood and Community
• Solid Foundations Inc. co-founder Byron Jarrett Sr. – Education and Youth Advocacy

Three Drake students are finalists for the Student Activist Award. They are

• Ben Parrott, founder of I-CARE (Iowa Central American Relief Effort), which is raising money to better equip a breast cancer treatment unit at a hospital in Nicaragua
• Danielle Sturgis, founder of the Drake chapter of the Network of Enlightened Women, which gives voice to women with conservative viewpoints
• Sarah Mayberry, chair of the Drake University College Republicans and also a member of the Network of Enlightened Women.

The Student Activist award winner will be announced at the ceremony on Nov. 15. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the program begins at 5:30 p.m. A reception will follow in Levitt Hall in Old Main. The awards ceremony and reception are free and open to the public.

This is the third year that Business Publications Corp., publisher of the Des Moines Business Record, has honored community activists through the Central Iowa Activist Award. The Activist Project originated as an event for Cityview, but was retained by BPC President Connie Wimer when she sold that publication earlier this year.

“We made the decision to retain it and continue to implement it because of our belief that Central Iowa is filled with people with passion and commitment to improve the lives of the people who live here,” Wimer said. “Recognizing a few of these people each year is our way of supporting he work they are doing and encouraging others to continue to commit themselves to such important work.”

“As business leaders, we are stakeholders,” said Editorial Director Beth Dalbey. “Our future livelihoods depend on Iowa becoming a more inclusive state whose people recognize differences in others; a state that values its young people and invests in giving all of them, from the most economically vulnerable to the most academically challenged, a fair start in life; a state that doesn’t just talk about equality, but epitomizes it; a state that respects its environment and builds strong neighborhoods. The workers we hope to attract in the future will demand it.”

Drake University has been a partner in the Activist Project since its inception in 2003. This year, United Way of Central Iowa is a corporate sponsor.

Profiles of the award winners and student finalists will appear in the Nov. 14 issue of the Business Record. For additional information, contact Beth Dalbey, Business Record editorial director, at 288-3338, ext. 233.

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