Media Contact:
Hilary Ortmann
Director, Events and Administration
The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University
hilary.ortmann@drake.edu
T: 515-305-0219
DES MOINES, Iowa (July 29, 2024) – The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University will host the 2024 Iowa Character Awards on Friday, Aug. 2, at Prairie Meadows Event Center. Twelve Iowa individuals and groups will be recognized for their exceptional character, including Alan Steckman of Mason City and Clear Creek Elementary in Clear Lake.
An Iowa Character Awards primetime special featuring the 2024 award recipients will air on Fox affiliate stations during the following dates and times:
* Fox 28 (Cedar Rapids) on Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 8-9 p.m.
* Fox 17 (Des Moines) on Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 8-9 p.m.
The Iowa Character Awards special will also be posted at IowaCharacterAwards.org.
Alan Steckman will receive the Adult Citizen of Character Award. Alan is a retired Iowa postmaster who has exemplified positive character through his tireless volunteer service. Alan has served on his local community school board for several years, providing a gentle and positive presence in the lives of hundreds of students and a spirit of peacemaking amongst some heated debates. Alan has also spent 13 years volunteering as a court-appointed special advocate for local children in foster care, for which he was awarded the Iowa Governor’s Volunteer Award. As the long-time president of the Adas Israel Synagogue in Mason City, Alan has been key in preserving the synagogue as a historic building and preserving the history of the Jewish community in North Iowa. He has also taken a leading role in fostering interfaith peacemaking and dialogue efforts in North Iowa. Alan has recently been an early supporter of efforts to welcome refugees to the area. Alan has earned his community’s trust and respect through many years of caring for others and faithfully exercising his citizenship duties.
Clear Creek Elementary School will receive the School of Character Award. Clear Creek Elementary School serves grades 3K-5 in the Clear Lake Community School District. Clear Creek is committed to providing a safe learning environment for each child, encouraging students’ character development through implementing the Six Pillars of Character. Clear Creek Elementary School received the School of Character award in 2014 for their utilization of the CHARACTER COUNTS! in their character education program, and it is still going strong a decade later. CHARACTER COUNTS! is an integral piece of Clear Creek’s everyday teaching, and they have visible reminders of the Six Pillars throughout their school building. Students caught demonstrating a Pillar receive a certificate to proudly display on the school’s CHARACTER COUNTS! wall. Clear Creek Elementary School has a long legacy of teaching the importance of good character to its students and integrating it into everything they do.
The Ray Center annually recognizes Iowans who show the Six Pillars of CHARACTER COUNTS!: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship. Since 2005, the organization has recognized more than 200 Iowans for showing good character.
The 2024 Iowa Character Awards are presented by Hy-Vee, FOX 17, Prairie Meadows, and Murphy Enterprizes. For a complete list of 2024 Iowa Character Award recipients or to submit a 2025 nomination, visit IowaCharacterAwards.org.
The Ray Center helps create strong, vibrant communities that value positive, healthy relationships and respectful behavior.
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