Cultural Story of the Year
This award recognizes a notable story of a nonprofit, cultural organization or cultural leader’s success and achievements that have made a significant positive contribution to the community.

• Winner: Easter Lake project announced – Polk County Conservation Board. Easter Lake’s new recreation site will be one of the most universally accessible waterfront parks in the country. The Athene North Shore Recreation Area project at Easter Lake Park has been designed with features that make the beach and activities like canoeing and rowing available to all. The process used to design the space, which was led by Molly Wuebker and partners at Shive-Hattery and the Harkin Institute, is being made available as a tool for other projects locally and nationally seeking to apply universal design. After renovations are complete in 2024, Polk County Conversation will have completed $23.2 million in renovations since 2018 across the park. More than $8 million was raised through local and state funding and private donations. Fundraising was led by former Casey’s CEO Bob Myers, former Hy-Vee CEO Ric Jurgens and EMC Insurance Cos. CEO Scott Jean.
• Finalist: ICON Water Trails’ Scott Avenue project launched. The recently launched Scott Avenue portion of the ICON Water Trails project improves the safety and recreational potential of the Scott Avenue dam site.
• Finalist: Community Foundation C3 Center opens. The C3 Center is a new community hub serving the entire nonprofit and charitable giving sectors and will bring diverse groups and perspectives together to make our community better together.

To read the full article, visit the Business Record.