(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Community Foundation for Western Iowa and SHARE Iowa have announced Christine Versaw, a volunteer for the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation, as the third annual Do-Gooder of the Year. All nonprofit organizations participating on the SHARE Iowa platform were encouraged to nominate their volunteers or “Do-Gooders” of the year. This year, nearly 20 nominations were reviewed, and Christine Versaw was awarded this year’s Do-Gooder of the Year award.

Bridgette Watson, Executive Director at the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation , and submitted the nomination, states, “Christine loves kids and supporting schools. While she is generous with her treasures, she is also generous with her time. Christine thinks about the kids every time she leaves the house. While at the store, she’ll see things on sale that could be used in a classroom, and she picks it up. For example, she found chalk on sale and brought it to the office for the kids at the Early Learning Center. She also visits garage sales, where she sorts through thousands of books each spring/summer/fall to find gently used books to gift to kids that helps them build their at-home libraries. We distribute these books to our kids at Kids & Company and at some of our high-risk schools. She doesn’t log her hours with us, so it’s hard to know how much time she spends finding things for kids, but she’s delivered thousands of books to our office and countless school supplies.”

Bob Versaw, Christine Versaw, Bridgette Watson, and Donna Dostal

Falling on National Volunteer Week, a major focus for Do Good Days is volunteerism. According to Volunteer Iowa reports, Iowa ranks in the top 10 states for volunteering. In 2023, more than 900,000 residents volunteered through an organization, contributing $1.5 billion in economic value. Volunteering is important to our nonprofit organizations and the communities SHARE Iowa serves.

Do Good Days were held April 23 – April 26th. During Do Good Days, SHARE Iowa and the Community Foundation for Western Iowa encouraged community members and nonprofit organizations to honor what doing good meant to them. During Do Good Days, SHARE Iowa provided capacity-building opportunities for nonprofit organizations.

On Wednesday, April 23, SHARE Iowa announced a new partnership with One Source, A Verified Credentials Company, for volunteer-led background checks. Coming soon, volunteers will be able to initiate the process for background checks, saving nonprofits valuable resources and enabling volunteers to get involved with a nonprofit quickly.

On April 24, area nonprofits joined together for a networking opportunity and a panel discussion on marketing and communications centered around branding. Panelists were Craig Carlsen, Director of Marketing at the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jacey Kallsen, Communications Manager at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, and Rachel Morehead, Director of Marketing and Engagement at the Community Foundation for Western
Iowa. The event was sponsored by InoTek, LLC.

SHARE Iowa is a dynamic online resource for our nonprofit partners that helps them to better reach and engage with people who want to have an impact into their community by donating dollars, shopping from nonprofit wish lists and registries, attending events, or discovering volunteer opportunities.

Donna Dostal, CEO of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, said “We created the Do-Gooder award to honor and recognize the amazing individuals like Christine who give of their time, talents, and treasures, to make a difference in other people’s lives and our community. Christine epitomizes a ‘Do-Gooder’ and is making a lasting impact in the lives of the children in Council Bluffs. We are honored to recognize her efforts.”

Go to www.sharegoodiowa.org to learn more and support nonprofit organizations making an impact in western Iowa