Iowa Character Awards

The Ray Center annually recognizes Iowans who show the Six Pillars of CHARACTER COUNTS!: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship.Since 2005, we have recognized more than 100 Iowans for showing good character.

2020 Iowa Character Award Recipients and Honorable Mentions

Business/Organization of Character: Grinnell Mutual (Grinnell) 

Honorable Mentions:
Sammons Financial (West Des Moines)
ServePro of Black Hawk County (Waterloo)

Adult Citizen of Character: Bonnie Romine (North English)  

Honorable Mentions:
Louis Fountain (Des Moines)
Kelsay Parrott (Cherokee)

Youth Citizen of Character: Lillie Lamont and Caroline Lang (Vinton-Shellsburg) 

Honorable Mentions:
Madeline Putnam (Decorah)
Anna Janni (Johnston)

Aaron Elierts Community Service Award: Michael De Jong (Montezuma)

Educator of Character:  Don Anderson (Belle Plaine Community Schools) 

Honorable Mentions:
Tara Zehr (Newton Community Schools WEST Academy, Newton)
Jason Lang (Cedar Falls High School, Cedar Falls)

Jim Hallihan Pursuing Victory with Honor Award: Madrid Cross Country

Honorable Mentions:
Cedar Falls Bowling (Cedar Falls)

School of Character: Perry Community School District (Perry) 

Student Organization of Character: East High Army JROTC (Waterloo) 

Honorable Mentions:
Joseph’s 8^th Grade (DeWitt)
Best Buddies (Iowa City)

Community of Character: Storm Lake 

Partner of the Year: Bankers Trust 

Character Champion: Steve Rohrer, Norwalk

Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character: Nancy Tychsen, West Des Moines

The 2020 Iowa Character Awards are presented by:  

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