Biolife Plasma Services of Ankeny and the Friends of Cedar Rock, from Quasqueton, are recipients of 2018 Governor’s Volunteer Awards.
Employees of Biolife Plasma Services will receive a Group Volunteer Award for work at Big Creek State Park.
During the last two years, volunteers removed invasive honeysuckle, autumn olive and multiflora rose from more than one acre of shoreline and fixed a jetty by removing seven tons of rock and installing a staircase that improved its accessibility to the lake.
The company is receiving its award Tuesday, in Des Moines.
The Friends of Cedar Rock also were selected for a Group Volunteer Award for restoring the last remaining original Frank Lloyd Wright river pavilion. The friends group raised nearly $200,000 for the project and will receive its award at a ceremony on July 30 in Marion.
“We greatly appreciate the hours of hard work and dedication these two organizations provided to care of state parks,” said Todd Coffelt, DNR parks bureau chief. “Both of these organizations exemplify the importance of volunteerism and we thank them for their service.”
Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, the Governor's Volunteer Award program—now in its 35th year— recognizes the dedicated people who volunteer their time and talent to help fulfill the missions of Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations, and government entities. The program provides an easy way for these organizations to honor their volunteers with a prestigious, state-level award.
More than 500 awards are being presented this year during ceremonies held at several locations around the state. It is estimated that more than 20,000 hours of service, with an economic impact of nearly $500,000, were served by this year’s honorees during the past 12 months. More information is available at https://volunteeriowa.org/awards