Davenport Education Association wins statewide honor

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L to R: M. Beranek, ISEA President, Carissa Johnson, DEA President, Princess Moss, NEA Secretary Treasurer

DES MOINES, IA (08/02/2018) (readMedia)-- The Davenport Education Association is the recipient of the Iowa State Education Association's Beacon Award. Members of the local were recognized at the Celebration in Excellence Awards Banquet at the West Des Moines Sheraton in West Des Moines on Monday, July 30.

The Beacon Award honors a local association that demonstrates outstanding leadership and activism in the areas of communications, community involvement, advocacy and programs. Any local association is eligible to be nominated.

The Davenport Education Association (DEA) is a highly active local with high membership. Strong friendships, collegial support and active recruitment have all contributed to their success making them one of the Big Ten local associations in the state. Working hard to include members and educators in activities like new member trainings and community involvement activities, the local association has a strong social media presence to keep members informed of their actions.

The DEA partners with the River Bend Food Bank, the Davenport Community School District and St. Paul's Church, to run the Davenport Community Food Pantry – a much needed resource for families in need. Thirty-five percent of Davenport families are considered food-insecure which means that many students are going to school hungry. Working together, local partners decided they could help serve students, schools and the community by opening the Food Pantry to provide a much needed resource for those in need. Davenport Education Association members volunteer in shifts to serve stock and source the food for the Pantry during the week and on weekends.

The DEA also operates what is called a teacher RE-STORE which is a supply store for new teachers to help them in their classrooms with much needed supplies. The RE-STORE is stocked with donations and purchases from the community and offers items to new teachers for free or at a greatly discounted price.

"DEA is a model local association where members are constantly working to help each other, their students and their community," said Mike Beranek, President of the ISEA. "They work hard to expand their membership and include educators in great projects like member trainings and community work. Our members understand that students don't stop needing support when they leave school, so they work hard to foster a village of support outside of the classroom. We are proud to recognize the DEA for their outstanding contributions and recognize their hard work and efforts with ISEA's Beacon Award," added Beranek.

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The ISEA is a professional organization made up of educators and school employees who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students.