WARTBURG COLLEGE CONCERT BANDS, TRIBETA CHAPTER RECEIVE GOVERNOR’S VOLUNTEER AWARD

WARTBURG COLLEGE MARKETING & COMMUNICATION

The Wartburg College Concert Bands and the college’s Beta Beta Beta Honor Society chapter each received a Governor’s Volunteer Award from Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg during a special recognition ceremony held virtually July 14. 

Both organizations were honored with a group award by the Iowa Department of Transportation for participation in the 2020 Adopt-A-Highway program. Since the mid-1990s, Craig A. Hancock, director of bands, has organized college band students in cleanup efforts first along Iowa Highway 3 east of Waverly and more recently along a stretch of U.S. Highway 218 west of Waverly.  

“Serving Mother Earth in this way has been an honor and privilege,” said Hancock, who accepted the award on behalf of the bands program. “College students don’t need more things to do, but they do need to be challenged to be part of the greater community, serving as they can, to make this world a better place. This service fits so well into the college’s overall challenge of ‘lives of leadership and service.’” 

“Our TriBeta chapter has always been committed to community service, both through highway cleanup and by organizing blood drives,” said Stephanie Toering Peters, professor of biology and the adviser for the college’s TriBeta chapter, who accepted the award on behalf of the group. 

TriBeta is an honor society mostly for undergraduate students dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biological study and extending boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research. The Wartburg chapter has 75 members. 

“Reaching out and lending a helping hand is at the core of who we are as Iowans,” said Reynolds. “For 37 years, the Governor’s Volunteer Award program has recognized those with a deep commitment to serving their communities in unique and meaningful ways. It’s truly an honor to recognize their work and convey the gratitude of our state.” 

More than 790 awards were presented this year during the ceremony this month. It is estimated that more than 265 communities in Iowa were served by this year’s honorees.

“The Governor’s Volunteer Award recipients demonstrate a unique commitment to service for others,” said Lt. Governor Adam Gregg. “I hope their commitment inspires even more Iowans to engage in the gift of volunteering.” 

Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, the Governor’s Volunteer Award program—now in its 37^th year—provides an easy way for Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations and government entities to honor their volunteers with a prestigious state-level award. More information is available at volunteeriowa.org.