Last week, I had the privilege of attending the 11th annual Iowa Christian Academy Celebration.  A very special thank you to Charles Croyle and his wife Lisa, who invited me to attend as their guest.  The evening featured several wonderful presentations by ICA students, a dramatic presentation by Mr. Michael Ernst as Charles Carroll (the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence), and capped off by a speech by Bryan English of the Iowa Family Policy Center.

Iowa Christian Academy an independent Christian school in West Des Moines.  Their mission statement reads:  “Founded in 1999, Iowa Christian Academy (ICA) is an independent, interdenominational school meeting the educational needs of preschool through 12th grade students. ICA is an accredited college-preparatory school that provides academic excellence in a nurturing Christian environment. ICA works in partnership with families to help students become all that God intended them to be.” It was clear from the evening’s celebration that they executing this mission well.

The central theme of the evening’s program was on American history, government and civic responsibility.  It was encouraging to see future leaders of our country who understand the proper role of government in society.  Three students stood together to recite the Gettysburg Address from memory, while others presented portions of the Declaration of Independence.   It was a challenge to me that I need to go back and re-read some of our founding documents again.

I particularly enjoyed Mr. Ernst’s dramatic interpretation of Charles Carroll.  Mr. Ernst’s organizaion called “His Men Revealed” .  From their website:

His Men Revealed is the drama ministry of Michael J. Ernst, which includes a series of presentations, programs and workshops. Mike makes characters come alive to present Christian messages and reveal men who have shaped our faith.  His Men Revealed offers personalized programs for churches, schools and community organizations.

Mr. Ernst treated us to a history of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding principles upon which our country was built.  Mr. Ernst’s work was very much appreciated, and I look forward to seeing him again in the near future.

The evening was capped off by Bryan English’s speech.  Through his work with IFPC, Bryan has become a leader in the movement to allow the people of Iowa the right to vote on a constitutional amendment defining marriage in Iowa.  Bryan understands very well that our state and our country are at a crossroads, and that our country needs great young people like the students at ICA.  The students at ICA are clearly going to be future leaders in our country, and that is a very good thing.

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service organization, with over 1.3 million members in 45,000 clubs. Not only do the individual clubs support their local communities, but work to fight blindness and fight eye disease. It is an organization of which I am proud to be a member.

Tickets for the chili supper are $5 in advance, please contact me if you’re interested. I look forward to seeing you there!

Here’s the details:

Date: Wednesday, November 4th
Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Location: 4906 Aspen Dr. West Des Moines

Tickets: $50/ea., (or $25 for young professionals under 35)

Sponsorship opportunities begin at $125 (or $75 for young professionals)

Before today, the city of Windsor Heights was covered by three different Zip Codes, which was the source of frequent confusion. For example, my old zip code, 50322, was the same number used for Urbandale. It was awkward to tell someone that their store computer was wrong and that I did in fact know the correct name of my city.

(*Colby Park is in the final stages of a complete redesign, which has dramatically changed the city’s primary community gathering space. The final phase, which is the new Community Center, should be complete in June of 2010.)

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend the Clive YMCA Healthy Living Center Grand Opening reception. This is an amazing facility that is going to be a tremendous addition to our community. The YMCA Healthy Living Center is a partnership between the YMCA of Greater Des Moines and Mercy Medical Center is a facility that offers an integrated approach to wellness, bringing medical and fitness professionals under the same roof.

Opening: Monday, June 15th.
Address: 12493 University Avenue, Clive, IA
Phone: (515) 226-YMCA (9622)

Thanks to my friend Dr. Chad Carlson from Stadia Sports Medicine for showing me around and introducing me to community leaders who made this project possible.

Saturday morning was the Windsor Heights Fire Department’s annual pancake breakfast. Amanda and I look forward to this every year because we like to visit with our neighbors and eat pancakes. Owen likes it because the fire trucks are really cool. I was impressed by the number of people that attended, it seemed like a higher turnout than last year.

Our thanks go out to Chief Christopher Cross and the rest of the members for a great breakfast!

From their website:

Ruth Harbor is a 6-8 resident home located in Des Moines. It provides young women who are alone and facing unplanned pregnancies a truly viable option — a safe harbor — by providing housing, education, counseling, health care, parenting training or adoption assistance, spiritual support and more for the duration of their pregnancies.

We would love to see you there to support this great cause.

Date: Saturday May 9, 2009
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Place: Meredith Trail (near Principal Baseball Park, Des Moines)