Iowa Star, Aurora, Quasar winners honored
Offering shelter to Iowa's homeless youths and giving a voice to English as a Second Language students and refugees won over the hearts of judges for The Des Moines Register's annual Iowa Star, Aurora and Quasar awards.
The Iowa Star went to the Rev. Milton Cole-Duvall, a West Des Moines school board member and civil rights advocate.
Youth Emergency Services & Shelter won the Aurora Award, which is dedicated to a nonprofit organization addressing a pressing need in the community.
Ian Coon, a Waukee High School junior, received the Quasar Award. Now in its second year, the award recognizes the leadership, public service and academic ability of a middle or high school student.
The winners were announced Thursday during an evening ceremony at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.
PREVIOUSLY: Finalists for Iowa Star, Aurora and Quasar awards revealed
"We might not be able to change the world in one fell swoop," Cole-Duvall said in his acceptance speech Thursday. "But when all of us swim together in the same direction, we can become unstoppable forces."
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the historic Selma-to-Montgomery marches that Cole-Duvall made with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and thousands of other civil rights activists.
In recent years, he's aided African refugees through travels to war-torn South Sudan and organizing citizenship courses for others in central Iowa.
He's planning a trip to Uganda later this year in hopes of fulfilling the request of a South Sudan priest whose life is in danger. Cole-Duvall intends to bring the man's three children to the United States.
The Iowa Star Award honors an individual who works to promote self-sufficiency and improve the lives of the most vulnerable in central Iowa.
Cole-Duvall thanked the other two finalists, whose life work he insisted was more valuable than his own: Connie Wimer, the founder of Business Publications Corp.; and Karen Devore, a retired social worker in Warren County.
VIDEO: 2015 Iowa Star Award Finalists
The Aurora winner, YESS, is dedicated to protecting Iowa's most vulnerable youths and keeping families together. Headquartered in downtown Des Moines, it offers medical care, food, case management and mental health counseling to homeless children, ranging from infants to teenagers.
The organization formed in the early 1970s and today operates the biggest youth shelter in Iowa, which is expanding to face a troubling reality, said CEO Stephen Quirk.
"Our business is booming. And nobody wants to hear that," Quirk reminded attendees at the award ceremony Thursday.
"Don't lose sight of the tremendous amount of difficulties we have with children. It's not acceptable."
The other finalists for the 2015 Aurora Award were Urban Dreams and Joppa Outreach.
VIDEO: 2015 Aurora Award Finalists
Coon is a co-founder of the Iowa Student Learning Institute, which is dedicated to enhancing the voice of students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
He is a member of the student council and helped pioneer a team of ESL students that travels across Iowa with stories about their challenges and experiences in school.
Coon thanked his parents and two former teachers who always pushed him to do more and make a difference in the lives of others.
"My biggest thing is just to never say no to a project or anything new," the 17-year-old said. "If anyone is ever asking for help, just say yes."
The other Quasar finalists were Kathleen Foley, a senior at Dowling Catholic High School, and Fez Zafar, a seventh-grader at Bergman Academy.
VIDEO: 2015 Quasar Award Finalists
The Iowa Star and Aurora awards program was created 13 years ago to spotlight the people and groups that make central Iowa a better place to live and work.
Readers nominated community members and organizations for the honors. An independent panel of judges selected the finalists and winners.