Central Iowa communities are experiencing challenges with food insecurity, access to mental health care and a steady decline in child kindergarten readiness over six years, according to the United Way of Central Iowa’s 2024 Community Report released Tuesday at the organization’s annual Live United celebration luncheon.

The United Way honored five organizations and three individuals at the event with the nonprofit’s annual Live United Awards. West Des Moines-based retirement services and annuity provider Athene received the 2024 Spirit of Central Iowa Award for the fourth consecutive year.

Mary Sellers, president of the United Way of Central Iowa, said during the event Tuesday that the organization’s United to Thrive initiative launched in 2021 is helping the organizations and its community partners “be more agile and responsive as critical issues arise.”

“We focus on the Five Elements of a Thriving Community with equity at the core, recognizing the interconnectedness of each piece, much like a puzzle,” Sellers said in a news release after the event.

“Addressing critical community issues requires a holistic approach as they impact every aspect of people’s lives. By providing access to quality, affordable child care, we give working parents the opportunity to remain in the workforce, leading to better access to healthcare, housing and improved educational outcomes for their children,” she said. “Together, in a united way, we achieve real, lasting impact across central Iowa.”

The 2024 report provides fresh data on challenges facing Central Iowa and strategies to address them through the five elements of United to Thrive:

• Essential needs.
• Early childhood success.
• Education success.
• Economic opportunity.
• Health and well-being.

Highlights from the 2024 report show:

• Kindergarten readiness dropped 14% among Central Iowa children over the last six years.
• Nearly 15,000 Central Iowa children are food insecure and 27% of those children are not eligible for nutrition assistance because their families don’t meet the income threshold.
• More than 25% of Central Iowa graduates do not have a plan beyond high school. That number increases to nearly 40% for students from lower-income backgrounds.
• Nearly half of Central Iowans are not financially stable.
• 59% of Iowa youths do not receive the mental health services they need. Iowa is ranked last in the nation for the percentage of adults with access to the mental healthcare they need.

“I want to emphasize how each of these challenges we are discussing today reach across and connect all the elements of a thriving community,” Sellers said at the event.

“Consider the implications of students who are not food secure. They are, of course, burdened in essential needs but their chances of education success are also negatively impacted,” she said. “Students who don’t have consistent access to essential needs are more likely to miss school, and that means they will be challenged to access economic opportunities or to live healthy lives now and into the future. These critical issues do not happen in a silo.”

Live United honorees
Athene’s Spirit of Central Iowa Award win Tuesday was the sixth time the company has been recognized with the award. United Way of Central Iowa said Athene’s corporate and employee giving increased 30% over its previous record set in 2022 with 90% of its employees participating in its United Way campaign.

During the United Way’s Day of Action, the company had 374 volunteers working 895 hours on its community service projects, according to the United Way of Central Iowa.

Athene USA President and CEO Grant Kvalheim said at the event that the company’s 1,800 employees raised a total of $2.5 million last year.

“I think they [Athene employees] find another gear when it comes to United Way. It is a total team effort, and that’s what it takes to get the kind of results you heard about,” Kvalheim said.

The United Way of Central Iowa recognized the following individuals during the event Tuesday as Live United Leaders:

• Carol Bodensteiner, for her exceptional volunteer work at Oakridge Neighborhood Services by serving on several key committees, teaching English to improve the lives of refugees and immigrants and championing others to join her in supporting local nonprofits.
• Renee Raap, for her lifelong commitment to giving back and our community through her extensive volunteer service and encouraging an environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
• Kim Willis, for her dedicated efforts in ensuring Central Iowans have access to vital health care and education and being a strong community leader and advocate.

The four organizations that were recognized as Live United Champions on Tuesday are:

• Delta Dental of Iowa
• Farm Bureau Financial Services
• Holmes Murphy
• LCS