Joshua Kennedy honored with Iowa Governor's Volunteer Award

Ames, Iowa – Joshua Kennedy of Jefferson received a Governor’s Volunteer Award from Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg during a special recognition ceremony held Tuesday, June 25th in Ankeny. 

Joshua was honored with an individual award by the Center for Creative Justice (CCJ) for his commitment and dedication to positively impacting the lives of individuals sentenced to probation at CCJ. In 2023, Joshua completed over 500 hours of volunteer service at CCJ. CCJ is extremely grateful for Joshua’s service to his community and the contributions he has made to supporting the mission of CCJ! 

More than 400 awards are being presented this year. It is estimated that over 85 communities in Iowa were served by this year’s honorees. 

“Those being recognized are the people who invest in others without expecting anything in return—except, of course, for the fulfillment that comes from doing their part to give back to their community,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “This collective impact is nothing short of remarkable.” 

Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, a bureau within the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS), the Governor's Volunteer Award program—now in its 40th year—provides an easy way for Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations, and government entities to honor their volunteers with a prestigious, state-level award.

Volunteer Iowa—a bureau within Iowa HHS--and its partner agencies work with organizations and individuals on three main fronts. The first is to help agencies develop quality programs that use service as a strategy to fulfill their missions and address Iowa’s greatest areas of need. The second is to help engage Iowans in their communities by promoting service and expanding the volunteer base. Finally, the third area of work is to connect individuals with appropriate service opportunities by building volunteer infrastructure.

The Center for Creative Justice, based in Ames, IA, is a community-based, non-profit agency that provides correctional supervision to adult criminal offenders sentenced to probation by the local judiciary. CCJ was established in 1974 and has a long, rich history of bettering our community by providing non-profit probation services.