‘A token of appreciation’: Over 20 volunteers in the metro to receive national recognition

When Bo James was tasked to select the recipients for the President's Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award, he emailed about 50 community leaders in the Des Moines metro. The subject line read: "A token of appreciation."

That's how James at least viewed the award. He saw it as an opportunity to thank the dozens of people — some of whom were his mentors or members of his family — he had long admired and watched shape the city that he grew up in and came to love.

James told the Des Moines Register he was recently tapped by an award distributor to become a director and help honor volunteers in Iowa. James is also a new recipient of the service award.

The history of the award dates back to 2003 under former President George W. Bush. Bush formed the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, which established the President's Volunteer Service Award and aimed to honor individuals across the nation for their positive impact on their communities.

According to the guidelines, there are four types of service awards — bronze, silver, gold and lifetime achievement. Eligibility requirements and number of service hours vary by age for each category, but lifetime achievement award nominees must have completed at least 4,000 hours of volunteer service over the course of their lives.

Volunteer services must be unpaid and benefit others, the guidelines state. They cannot include political lobbying, court-ordered community service, religious instruction, donating funds or serving only family.

On James' list, he included State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad; former legislator Wayne Ford; Black Iowa News founder and publisher Dana James and renowned female BMX bike racer Kittie Weston-Knauer. He even listed his mother, Valerie James, and his sister, Valora James — both of whom, he says, have dedicated hours helping him with his youth-focused nonprofit, Hip Hope — and his father, Gerald James Jr., who has spent years volunteering at local boxing gyms in Des Moines.

"I've been saying this for a couple of years now. I've never seen myself as a star," Bo James told the Des Moines Register. "I see myself as a constellation. When you look at these people, that is what Bo James looks like."

He said their influence, their guidance and their work have not only impacted and inspired him but many others as well.

Of the 50 people James reached out to, he said 27 responded and accepted the nomination.

Weston-Knauer told the Register she was shocked to hear she was up for the award but appreciative as a recipient.

"My life has been about 'we' and 'thee,'" said Weston-Knauer, who is not only the oldest female BMX racer in the U.S., but a retired educator at Des Moines Public Schools.

James said he knew of Weston-Knauer and her achievements in the bike racing world but only came to know her when he began Hip Hope. He said she encouraged him to include cycling as part of his Hip Hope's summer program, as well as taught him how to stay organized as he developed his nonprofit.

Reflecting on her years of service, Weston-Knauer said she worked with young students in different ways including introducing them to organizations like Habitat for Humanity or creating her own youth cycling program.

The goal was rather simple, she said. She wanted to instill in them a sense of pride and empathy. Again, she said, "It's not about me. It's about what I could do to help 'we' and 'thee.'"

A ceremony will be held for the recipients of the President's Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award on Sept. 3 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Fred Maytag II Scout Center, 6123 Scout Trail in Des Moines. Tickets to the black-tie affair are sold online here.

Here's a full list of the recipients

• Bo James, founder and executive director of Hip Hope

• State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, founder of Creative Visions

• Debra Carr

• Annissa Page-Roland

• Dana James, founder and publisher of Black Iowa News

• Gerald James Jr.

• Heather Jones-Brown

• Jack Chimebetete, vice president of One Voice DSM

• Jane Magers

• JoAnn Hughes

• Joyce Bruce

• Kittie Weston-Knauer

• Leonard Bell, program director at Des Moines Area Community College YouthBuild

• Mark Hillenbrand

• Mary Campos

• Mary Chapman

• Matthew Gilbert

• Paula Bell

• Rachelle Long, president and founder of Taste of the Junction

• Renee Hardman

• Robert Johnson

• State Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines

• Teree Caldwell-Johnson

• Tracy Duran

• Valerie James

• Valora James

• Wayne Ford, founder of Urban Dreams

• Will Holmes, founder of Starts Right Here

F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter @writefelissa.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 28 leaders in the Des Moines metro to receive national service award