The Des Moines Parks and Recreation department announced the recipients of its annual Volunteer Awards on Jan. 23. The awards were given to volunteers and community leaders for their role in supporting the area’s nationally recognized parks and recreation system.

The Volunteer Award program was established in 2009 to recognize volunteers for their service to the city’s parks and recreation department. In 2023, 6,284 volunteers donated nearly 35,000 hours of service (valued at over $1.1 million) to maintain parks and trails, coach youth sports, lead yoga sessions and historical tours, protect pollinator habitats and more.

The 2023 winners were:

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Mike Rowley
  • Rowley was honored for his work in Des Moines’ municipal cemeteries, which began more than six decades ago. He leads an annual ceremony to honorably retire thousands of flags and has located, researched and secured funding for unmarked veterans’ graves.
• Volunteer of the Year: Nikki Goodell
  • Goodell has volunteered with the parks for more than a decade. This year, she made contributions to the city greenhouse, municipal cemeteries and environmental education programs.
• Corporate Volunteer Group of the Year: Bankers Trust
  • The bank was recognized for hundreds of hours of volunteer work from team members and a 79% increase in financial support from 2022 to 2023.
• Volunteer Group of the Year: Woodland 175th Committee
  • In 2023, Mike Rowley, Kristine Bartley, Jeff Kluever, Justin Alliss, Marshall Linn and Julie Linn donated more than 900 hours, organized 90 volunteers and hosted 600 visitors to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Woodland Cemetery.
• Friends of the Year: Cemetery tour guides
  • The team of four tour guides –  Archie Cook, Jeff Kluever, Kat Rinken and Lorna Truck – lead historical tours through Woodland cemeteries, with a special focus on Civil War veterans, the Colored Troops and influential women from Des Moines’ past.
• Instructor of the Year: Zakiya Jenkins
  • Jenkins started volunteering after a health scare. She leads aquatic fitness classes for people of all ages and abilities, with a special commitment to serving the Black community.
• Volunteer Supervisors of the Year: Aaron Graves and Dan Hejkal
  • Graves and Hejkal donated 167 hours of time to co-lead 23 volunteers in the construction of three playgrounds, a record number in a single year.
• Special Volunteer Award: Nancy Dunbar and Toni Hayes
  • Over eight years of service, Dunbar and Hayes have donated almost 500 hours as members of the Beaverdale Beautification Team. The two are responsible for the planning and maintenance of native flower beds throughout the city.
• Friends of Des Moines Parks – Partner of the Year: Variety – the Children’s Charity
  • The nonprofit received the first-ever Partner of the Year award for funding two playgrounds, donating free bikes, and funding swim lesson scholarships and equipment.

More information about volunteering is available at dmparks.org or by emailing parksvolunteer@dmgov.org.