The By Degrees Foundation has created the Middleton Award for Children’s Advocacy to recognize community members who have positively changed the trajectory of children’s lives through education, advocacy, mentoring or other means. The award is named after longtime Des Moines residents Joan and the late Lyle Middleton. “Joan exemplifies the very best there is in a caring human being, placing her energies where her heart is,” said Emily Westergaard, CEO of the By Degrees Foundation. “She has remained committed to our organization for over 30 years, supporting our entrepreneurial efforts as we scaled our programing to serve whole schools and helping us navigate our transition from a small nonprofit supporting 100 students to now over 2,500.” The Middleton Award for Children’s Advocacy will be an annual award presented by the By Degrees Foundation. The nomination process will be announced this winter.