Hometown Pride Communities
Photographer: William Benson of Carroll, IA
Counties and Communities Served
The Hometown Pride program has served 118 Iowa counties and communities since 2012.
Scroll down for some of our success stories and a full list of participating counties and communities!
Hear it From Our Communities
Pocahontas County – A “sweeping change”
(County-wide population: 7,074)
“We’ve seen a sweeping change among our county’s nine communities. The Hometown Pride partnership has given them a reason to not just long for a better, brighter future; but to roll up their collective sleeves and get to work making it happen. To learn to fish rather than just be handed a fish. To me, that’s the genius of Hometown Pride.” – Chris Vrba, Editor and Publisher, Pocahontas Record Democrat
Pocahontas County was the first to start a Hometown Pride program in 2012. Since then, more than a hundred Hometown Pride volunteers in 9 Pocahontas County towns have completed more than 300 community betterment projects and raised nearly $2 million for their communities.
Delmar – A Catalyst for Economic Renewal
(population 542 / Clinton County)
When Delmar joined Hometown Pride, no new businesses or amenities had been added to the community in 20 years. Community leaders were motivated to make a change, but unsure of how to address their challenges.
Delmar Hometown Pride started off with a bang, raising more than $100,000 to build a long-awaited community amenity: a splash pad.
Their speedy success served as an immediate catalyst for economic renewal in Delmar. After seeing what the community could achieve when they came together, local entrepreneurs and builders gained confidence in the town, and over the next few years Delmar saw 5 new businesses, several new homes and a total of $2 million in construction projects. Delmar Hometown Pride went on to lead renovations of the historic rail depot, restoration of a historic mural, construction of a disc golf course and more.
Click here to read the full Delmar story in this article by CityScape magazine.
Morning Sun – Bringing up the next generation of leaders
(population: 657)
The volunteers in Morning Sun Hometown Pride (MSHP) love their community, and they’re working to make sure the next generation does too. “Between the 10 of us we have 30 kids, and the kids volunteer right along beside us,” says committee treasurer Kelse Truitt. The youth of Morning Sun have been part of MSHP’s many successful initiatives: hosting holiday events for the town, lining the streets with flags for special occasions, building safe sidewalks, and the community garden – classes from the local elementary plant the garden each year. “We really want to cultivate our youth, our citizens and our school” says Truitt.
MSHP has built their success on a foundation of strong relationships. “Our group is really about friendship. People I’ve built relationships with that say ‘yeah I want to do that with you.’ You don’t have to be our friend to join, but you will be by the time we’re done.” Plus, there’s a feeling that the town is counting on them. Several of their events have become center points of the town’s holiday traditions. These traditions bring this small town together and build relationships that will help sustain Morning Sun in this generation and the next.
Holy Cross – Powerful Volunteer Leadership
(population 356 / Dubuque County)
Hometown Pride engaged a powerful group of volunteers to lead change in Holy Cross. Their Hometown Pride coach, Tricia Wagner, had this to say:
“The Holy Cross committee is an incredibly energetic, collaborative and cohesive team! Every event they plan, or project they are working on, they all contribute something. They always know who in the community to ask to help and go door to door with flyers for events so those who don’t use technology are included. When they meet, it’s like a well-oiled machine; they finish each other’s thoughts, have honest discussions and respect everyone’s opinions and come to a consensus without any drama. When they decide to do something, they get it done in the blink of an eye.” A recent report from IEDA stated: “Holy Cross has a group of energetic people with the right attitude to do good things…this truly is where every community should start!”
Indianola – A Passion for Community
(population 15,747 / Warren County)
Watch this inspiring video from Indianola Hometown Pride and learn about the passion they have for their work!
“It’s so awesome to go from thinking ‘Gosh, you know, Indianola really could use this,’ to actually being the one making it happen.” – Jessica Schneider, Indianola Hometown Pride committee member
Buena Vista, Cherokee, Dickinson, and Clay Counties
Participating towns: Albert City, Alta, Aurelia, Lake Park, Lakeside, Marathon, Royal, Sioux Rapids and Storm Lake.
Coach: Carissa Harvey
Start Date: December 2024
Pocahontas County
Participating towns: Fonda, Gilmore City, Havelock, Laurens, Palmer, Plover, Pocahontas, Rolfe and Varina.
Coach: Margo Underwood
Start Date: July 2012
Clinton County
Participating towns: Camanche, Clinton, Delmar, DeWitt, Grand Mound, Lost Nation, Low Moor, Wheatland
Coach: Francis Boggus
Start Date: August 2017
Dubuque and Jackson Counties
Participating Communities:
Currently active – Preston, Sabula, Baldwin, LaMotte, Miles, Asbury, Holy Cross, Luxemburg, Maquoketa, New Vienna, Peosta, Rickardsville, Sageville, Andrew, and Worthington
Past participants – Anamosa, Bellevue, Cascade, Farley, Dubuque, Dyersville
Coaches: Tricia Wagner, Marla Quinn, Amanda Dupont, and Dylan Michels, through a partnership with East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA)
Start Date: July 2021
Cedar County and Delaware County
Participating communities: Edgewood, Manchester, Delhi, Ryan, Dundee, Delaware, Hopkinton, Colesburg, Greeley, Earlville, Mechanicsville, Stanwood, Tipton and Cedar County
Coaches: Marla Quinn, Katie Steffensmeier, Dan LoBianco, and Jennifer Walker through a partnership with East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA)
Start Date: July 2022
Benton, Johnson, and Linn Counties
Participating communities: Walker, Springville, Shellsburg, Center Point, and Hills
Coach: Jessica Walker, through a partnership with East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG)
Start Date: September 2022
Warren County
Participating Communities: Carlisle, Cumming, Milo, Norwalk, New Virginia, Indianola, Hartford
Coach: Lucinda Sperry
Start Date: October 2017
Fremont County
Participating Communities:
Currently active – Farragut, Hamburg, Percival, Randolph, Riverton, Sidney, Tabor, Thurman
Past Participants – Imogene, Bartlett
Start Date: November 2013
Sac County
Participating Communities:
Currently Active: Auburn, Lake View, Sac City
Past Participants: Early, Lytton, Nemaha, Odebolt, Schaller, and Wall Lake.
Start Date: June 2015
Jasper County
Participating Communities:
Currently active – Baxter, Lynnville, Mingo, Prairie City, Sully
Past participants – Colfax, Kellogg, Monroe, Newton
Start Date: April 2015
Louisa County
Participating Communities:
Currently active – Morning Sun, Louisa County
Past participants – Columbus City, Cotter, Fredonia, Grandview, Letts, Oakville, Wapello
Start Date: 2014
Des Moines Capitol Neighborhoods
2014 to 2019
Capitol East, Capitol Park and MLK Jr. Park neighborhoods worked with Hometown Pride and the Viva East Bank! collaborative to work on community building and programming, housing, public spaces and infrastructure and business communities.
