Parks and Recreation Department Honors Volunteer and Community Partners

Crouse's volunteer journey began with DMPR almost 17 years ago, and since then she has become an indispensable part of our community and a shining example of what it means to serve with heart. She plays a vital role in our Transplanting in the Tropics program and is the trusted "go-to" volunteer in our greenhouse. She arrives unfailingly with a warm smile, a positive attitude, and often a story that brightens everyone's day. Her enthusiasm is contagious; she has inspired others to join our volunteer efforts, turning work into uplifting and social experiences.

Beyond the greenhouse, Crouse is always trying to make others feel welcome and included. As a member of the Golden Thread Society, she volunteered to create hundreds of hats for kids at our community recreation centers. She spent many holidays handing them out and helping at our Toys for Tots holiday parties.

For years, she also helped green up our community through programs such as Earth Day Trash Bash and UPCYCLE cutting out invasive plants in the name of conservation. Last year after an EF1 tornado destroyed part of our cemetery, Crouse got together with her friends and headed out to help with cleanup. Throughout the year, she and her friends adopted a block to care for too. She's volunteered to place flags for the 9/11 Tribute Trail and Memorial Day and lays wreaths to honor our veterans in winter. Most recently, Crouse began helping with our adapted sports, designed to accommodate children with disabilities or chronic health issues. Her kind, warm, and helpful demeanor creates an inclusive and welcoming environment, helping ensure all children can participate and experience the joy recreation can bring.

Crouse's donated service is valued over $25,000. Her willingness to help is boundless, and her impact is felt by every person she encounters. In honor of her extraordinary dedication, generosity, and long-standing service to the entire Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department, and her impact on our community, we honored Brigitte Crouse as our 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner.

John Taylor III has been a huge advocate for keeping our highly trafficked trail system clean. He spends hours, multiple times a week, out on our trails picking up bags of litter. In the past two years he's picked up almost 400 bags, and this doesn't count the many larger items (like tires, carts, mattresses, etc.) that he has coordinated with our staff to help remove. Taylor III bikes the trails often and is an avid runner who has completed 114 marathons (and at least one in each state), over 100 triathlons, and RAGBRAI at least 25 times. He spends much time on our trails training or as a mentor for the Dream Team. Taylor III began picking up litter along our trails and in our parks in 2021. He said the most rewarding part of volunteering are the 100's of "Thank You's" that he's received.

In 2025 alone, he donated more than 200 hours, and since he began, he has donated more than $47,000 in volunteer time picking up litter. For his dedication, passion, and community pride, and the many hours he donates to keep our parks and trails clean and safe, we honored John Taylor III as our 2025 Volunteer of the Year.

Since 1937, JEO has consistently provided quality engineering consulting services for municipalities across the Midwest. In 2025, a team of their interns, led by a senior engineer, volunteered to create a set of engineering plans for us. Volunteering helped the interns turn their educational knowledge into real-world applications. They completed a construction set and design work for the Raccoon River Trail. Trails are consistently something City of Des Moines residents say they want more of. The JEO volunteers had a high degree of site analysis and exploration, completed quality research on seed mixes, concrete mixtures, and trail alignments for a complex site with many challenges. Their future-ready plans help DMPR be prepared to expand our trail system as soon as funding becomes available.

JEO Consulting Group volunteers donated more than $180,000 worth of time. For their teamwork and incredible donation, volunteering to design future park plans, we honored JEO Consulting Group as our 2025 Corporate Volunteer Group of the Year.

The Bridges of Iowa organization bridges resources to community members in need and provides support for them to recover, rebuild, and reconnect. With a long-term, community- based approach, they work to improve emotional and physical health, repair relationships, secure employment, and lead fulfilling and productive lives. Volunteering with Des Moines Parks and Recreation weekly provides the opportunity to give back to their community, develop leadership skills, and explore their passions.

This year, Bridges of Iowa volunteers cleared tree limbs after storms, raked leaves and helped maintain trails, weeded and mulched community gardens, planted and maintained flowers to add beauty, washed flowerpots at the greenhouse, maintained cemetery grounds and memorial flags, winterized the Clare and Miles Mills Rose Garden, and more.

Their consistent and flexible help for more than a decade has been a great asset to our community, and they've donated more than 8,000 hours of service (valued at more than $219,000). For their dedication and commitment to our parks, trails, and cemeteries, we honored Bridges of Iowa as our 2025 Volunteer Group of the Year.

Mike Schaffer and Karen Stiles are dedicated conservationists who have gathered neighbors and friends to help protect the natural resources throughout Polk County, including our parks and waterways here in Des Moines. They began litter cleanup efforts in their neighborhood starting at Easter Lake Park and have continued their work upstream, into Ewing and Allen Parks along Yeader Creek. Their dedicated Easter Lake Watershed Stewards group has volunteered every month in 2025, to help clean creeks, parks, and roadways donating 2,404.5 hours to pick up over 5,500lbs of litter and 650 bags of trash.

In addition to coordinating litter cleanups, Schaffer and Stiles volunteer as water quality and bird box monitors at Ewing Park. Through the water quality monitoring program, they collect data on the health of Yeader Creek which can help identify pollution early and support smart conservation decisions that benefit everyone downstream.

In only 4.5 years, they and their group of Easter Lake watershed stewards have donated more than 8,400 hours (valued at $286,891.10) and picked up more than 65,000 pounds of trash.For their tireless work removing trash, monitoring water quality, and serving as daily stewards of this land, working towards cleaner water, healthier wildlife habitat, safer recreation, and a more resilient ecosystem for generations to come, we honored Mike Schaffer and Karen Stiles as our 2025 Friends of the Year.

Our 2025 Coach of the Year, Joshua Saba shows up for so many kids in our youth sports programs when it matters most. In Des Moines, he generously has given his time and heart across soccer, volleyball, baseball, football, and basketball, showing young athletes that commitment, teamwork, and respect matter just as much as winning.

Saba coaches multiple teams for each sport and is one of our most requested / tenured coaches in our programs. Coach Saba is very detail oriented when it comes to his team plans and communication. He makes sure everyone is where they are supposed to be while having a great time. Parents appreciate that he truly cares about their kids on and off the field, acknowledging that he has accommodated their learning styles, and gives them individualized coaching.

His impact goes far beyond the field or court building confidence, creating a sense of belonging, and helping young people discover their strengths. Because of his leadership, countless kids feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow into their best selves. For his dedication, encouragement, belief in every child's potential, and embodying what youth sports should be, we honored Josh Saba as the 2025 Coach of the Year.

The Clare and Miles Mills Rose Garden is one of only 132 "All-America Rose Selections Public Display Gardens" in the U.S., and it requires special care to keep its blooms looking their best. Every Thursday morning during the 2025 growing season, a crew of enthusiastic volunteers joined Parks Maintenance Worker Doug Foust, and the Ornamentals crew, to "deadhead" spent blooms and keep the garden thriving.

Foust coordinated weekly workdays making sure tools/supplies were prepared and staff were ready on-site to support the volunteers, including individuals, corporate volunteers, and silver cord students. With 46 volunteers contributing 126 hours (valued at > $4,300), the impact has been huge. Foust's leadership is helping preserve one of the community's most cherished horticultural landmarks.

He also has been part of the last nine playground builds as a Team Leader, supervising volunteers. He is a great teacher and keeps our volunteers safe. For his demonstrated leadership and initiative with his team, our partners, and our volunteers, growing new opportunities in our Rose Garden and parks, we honored Doug Foust, as our 2025 Volunteer Supervisor of the Year.

Jen Bramble, our longest running volunteer yoga instructor, has made an incredible impact on our community. For 15 years, Jen has generously shared her time, energy, and expertise to help others move, breathe, and grow. As an inaugural Yoga in the Park instructor, she helped that vision become a reality and has provided thousands with free access to wellness, recreation, and community connection. Bramble helped us expand yoga offerings throughout the community as part of Yoga in the Park, Yoga at the Plaza, Yoga on the Lawn, Yoga at the Hub, Yoga in the Rose Garden, and more.

Her impact stretches far beyond a yoga mat. A trailblazer in the Midwest fitness scene since 1992, she's also a seasoned personal trainer, award-winning bodybuilder, and entrepreneur. Her innovative spirit and deep passion for whole-body wellness have made her a sought-after coach and mentor. What makes her truly special is the heart she brought into every class. For her long-time support bringing Yoga in the Park, and improving the health of our community, we honored Jen Bramble, with a 2025 Special Volunteer Award.

Mark Seigfried's leadership and dedication have been at the heart of the North of Grand Neighborhood Association's flower program, for the past 15 plus years. With his help, the North of Grand neighborhood has donated more than 5,100 hours (valued at more than $144,000) to create beautiful and inviting spaces in Des Moines, as part of our neighborhood flower program.

Siegfried is instrumental in organizing his neighborhood's logistics of the spring flower pickup, and distribution for planting.
He brings neighbors together, year after year, coordinating dozens of volunteers, choosing and planting flowers on the corners, and caring for them throughout the season. Over 30 corners were planted in the North Of Grand neighborhood association last year, and Siegfried was able to add several more gardeners, and beds to the program. Siegfried who commented he doesn't do this alone and the entire neighborhood helps said, "The Neighborhood Flower Program has been so important in creating our neighborhood identity, with dozens of residents planting bright spots throughout the neighborhood."

Because of his commitment, their shared spaces continue to bloom, and the neighborhood is more connected, and proud of the place they call home. For his service over the past 15 years, giving his time and heart to beautify Des Moines, we honored Mark Siegfried, with a 2025 Special Volunteer Award.

The Ruan Family embodies the very best of philanthropy, and their steady, thoughtful support creates meaningful new amenities and promotes a more welcoming, inclusive experience throughout our parks. They invest in places to play, gather, and connect, and inspire so many others to step forward and get involved. Their partnership has been essential to advancing the Friends of Des Moines Parks' mission of Better Parks for a Brighter Community. Their dedication to a more vibrant city for all, shines through in every project they make possible.

Over the years, the Ruan Family have championed numerous park initiatives, including but not limited to:

• Fleur Drive medians
• FORE! Our Parks Golf Outing
• Riverside Bridge Park
• Gray's Lake Playground + Sprayground
• Reichardt Community Recreation Center
• Ewing Park Lilac Arboretum
• Pappajohn Sculpture Park
• Mary Miss art installation and Greenwood Park beautification over the years

For their commitment to investing in our parks, and the health, happiness, and future of our entire community, the Friends of Des Moines Parks honored the Ruan Family Foundation as their 2025 Partner of the Year.