The 2020 ABC winner Harry Ahrenholtz will present the 2021 recipient

The first-ever Community Appreciation Night for Jefferson Matters: A Main Street and Chamber Community was held Wednesday evening at the Greene County High School Auditorium.

The highlight of the event was the announcement of the 2020 Above and Beyond the Call (ABC) Award. The award is given to someone who volunteers their time to benefit the community. Harry Ahrenholtz was selected as the winner. He served as president of the Heart of Iowa Habitat for Humanity of Greene, Boone and Guthrie counties. He is an active member of the First United Methodist Church Habitat volunteer group, while also serving as project manager and site manager for several Habitat Helping Hands projects in Greene County. Additionally, Ahrenholtz has served as chair of the First United Methodist Church Board of Trustees, is currently on the Jefferson City Council as Mayor Pro Tem and is a member of the Jefferson Rotary Club.

Other highlights of the night were presentations by each of the teams for Jefferson Matters. Those included Tourism Team Chair Pat Richards, Jen Badger with Retail Revamped, Organization Team Chair Susan Thiel, Philip Heisterkamp as events team chair, Design Team Chair Karen Lawton, along with Peg Raney and Jill Morton as co-chairs of the economic vitality team and ambassadors and Tower View Team Chair Deb McGinn. Thiel talked about why they wanted to have an event like this.

“Since we now have this merger, we want to make sure that we have an opportunity to not only recognize one organization over the other. But we’re just making this considered a community appreciation night. So it is kind of a blending of all of that. We are trying to focus on all of the positive things going on in this area.” 

Additional remarks were given by Executive Director Reegan Hanigan and Board President Jamie Daubendiek.