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.
Nominate an individual or organization for a 2022 Iowa Character Award.
How are award recipients selected and recognized?
Award recipients and honorable mentions will be selected at the end of May by a committee of Iowans.
Award recipients will be honored in three ways:
2021 Iowa Character Award Recipients
Watch videos about each of the 2021 recipients on YouTube
Business/Organization of Character:
Matthew 25 (Cedar Rapids)
Honorable Mentions:
Dorothy’s House (Des Moines)
African American Museum of Iowa (Cedar Rapids)
Adult Citizen of Character:
Simon Estes (Ankeny)
Honorable Mentions:
Dr. Monic Behnken (Ames)
Kyle Horn (Des Moines)
Youth Citizen of Character:
Alison Van Gelder (Creston)
Honorable Mentions:
Carley Deery (Des Moines)
Mackenzie Kokke (Mitchellville)
Mackenzie Eichhorn (Cedar Rapids)
Aaron Eilerts Community Service Award:
Toby Laurie (Norwalk)
Educator of Character:
Yonas Michael (Ames Middle School)
Honorable Mentions:
Shane Ehresman (Lynnville-Sully CSD)
Shana Putnam Dibble (Decorah CSD)
Jim Hallihan Pursuing Victory with Honor Award:
Storm Lake St. Mary’s Girls Basketball Team (Storm Lake)
School of Character:
Ames Community School District (Ames)
Honorable Mention:
Pella Middle School (Pella)
Student Organization of Character:
Sioux City East High Student Council (Sioux City)
Honorable Mentions:
Nevada High School FFA (Nevada)
Community of Character:
Iowa Great Lakes Region (Northwest Iowa)
Partner of the Year:
Iowa Cubs / Gartner Family Foundation (Des Moines)
Character Champion:
Drake University Women’s Basketball (Des Moines)
Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character:
Billie Ray (Des Moines)
The 2021 Iowa Character Awards are presented by:
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