Iowa's Quality of Life
 Megan McMahon |
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| Ria Thompson 
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Chelsea Berry |
Oh, Des Moines – the best city in the world. I have always been a huge promoter of Des Moines, and today’s activities only put even more emphasis on my love for this wonderful city. The quality of life in Des Moines is unlike any place I have ever visited or lived. I have traveled six countries in Europe, 15 states in the USA, as well as Mexico and The Bahamas, and I have never felt more welcome than I do here in Des Moines. This morning we went to RDG Planning and Design downtown, and visited with a panel including Wayne Hansen, Mary Lawyer, Rowena Crosbie, Davis Sanders, and Martha Willits, and we got to pick their brains about why Des Moines is such a wonderful place to live. They have all been actively involved in making downtown a more attractive, fun place for all ages and interests. I have grown up in Des Moines, and I have seen these changes take place in the last 5 years. I have always been involved in activities in the downtown area with things such as concerts at Simon Estes amphitheater, Gray’s Lake, shopping centers, etc. and I have seen Des Moines flourish with things such as the Principal River Walk, the Poppajohn sculpture park, and the ice skating rink by the river. I can’t wait to see what else is to come for Des Moines and its wonderful residents. The quality of life in Des Moines, Iowa is second to none, and I am proud to call this place home. I would just like to add another great source for getting more information about Des Moines’ wonderful opportunities, Tina Johnson. You can contact Tina via e-mail or you can find her on facebook. Another source for finding out more about Tina and what she can do for you included here.
Another unique thing about today was that we had an opportunity to sit down over lunch with executives around Iowa, and pick their brains about business, leadership, and Iowa. I met with Mary Hunter, who is the executive director of JDRF here in Iowa. She was a great person to talk to, and gave us some awesome advice. Her main two points were to do what you love and that life is short, so don’t take for granted the present. I couldn’t agree more with those two things, and I am excited to apply those things to my career.
The Iowa Hall of pride was also very interesting – I found my cousin on one of the displays!
Another very interesting thing today was talking to Amanda Brend with ITA Group. She has been an active member of numerous groups within the Des Moines area, and is a very successful business woman. She emphasized how important it is to give back to our community by volunteering and donating to the charities we are interested in, and showed us a great way to do so. She had us write down something that we are interested in getting involved with and how we will raise money for that group in the next year. She gave us websites to use if we had trouble, which I have found to be very interesting, www.serve.gov and www.dosomething.org. |
Oct 2, 2009 3:59 PM
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Leadership Iowa University is a program of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) Foundation. The program is designed to bring together two ABI Foundation programs, Leadership Iowa and Business Horizons, to create a unique opportunity for college students. Leadership Iowa University will educate, inspire and develop young leaders as the foundation for Iowa’s future economic growth and encourage their on-going involvement in local communities and the state to create a better future for all Iowans. |  |
