What has impact iowa’s heroes been up to?
Whether you are an Iowa Hero couple, or, a supporter of Impact Iowa’s Heroes, we want to let you know what we’ve been doing this year.
Marriage Getaway Event
In September of 2022 we relaunched our Marriage Getaway event where we welcomed in 100 hero couples from all across Iowa! Through the generosity of our donors, we were able to provide our hero couples with the following: a Fareway steak dinner, an IIH sling bag, IIH t-shirts, 2022 challenge coins, an honoring ceremony, a comedic performance, a night in a West Des Moines hotel, snacks, drinks, high quality marriage coaching, and a space for couples to connect and have their marriages strengthened.
We also honored two Iowa Heroes that lost their lives in the line of duty. At the event, we honored the agencies and families of Lyon County Deputy Stephanie Schreurs and Bouton/Woodward Fire Chief Ken Cavanaugh, presenting their representatives with framed challenge coins to remember and honor their sacrifice.
For our marriage coaching this year we brought in several nationally recognized speakers to coach our hero couples. Our first coaching session was done by Dr. John Trent and Kari Stageberg. They coached our hero couples on how to build healthy relationships. See the below video for some excerpts from Trent and Stageberg’s session.
For our marriage coaching this year we brought in several nationally recognized speakers to coach our hero couples. Our first coaching session was done by Dr. John Trent and Kari Stageberg. They coached our hero couples on how to build healthy relationships.
Our second coaching session was done by Dr. Mark Mayfield. He coached our hero couples on how to navigate trauma in marriage. This session was extremely relevant to our first responder and military heroes because they experience high level trauma on a consistent basis which can create challenges for connection in marriage.
After a short hiatus from the pandemic of 2020/2021, we believe that Impact Iowa’s Heroes has gained momentum again and will be serving Iowa’s Heroes at an annual marriage event for many years to come. In fact, 100% of our attendees that submitted a survey said they would attend another Marriage Getaway event.
Check out more photos from this year’s event and hear what our attendees thought of the event?
“Every relationship would benefit from this event, healthy or unhealthy. This was phenomenal. I will be recommending it to all first responders I know. Should be mandatory for all first responders. There’s always things to learn.”
Date Nights
In 2022, Impact Iowa’s Heroes (IIH) provided date night materials to hero host couples across Iowa. We are able to pack our materials and resources in a box and ship it to our host couples, allowing them to simply plug and play. Date nights are provided for our hero couples at no cost to them as IIH pays for their food.
coaching at law enforcement academies
Throughout 2022, Impact Iowa’s Heroes has been able to speak with new law enforcement recruits at the Department of Public Safety Academy, the Des Moines Police Academy, and the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. We believe that coaching our new recruits and their spouses early on in their careers, will help set them up for success as they encounter challenges unique to law enforcement marriages.
Donor Dinner
On November 10th we celebrated the history of Impact Iowa's Heroes and presented our yearly accomplishments and future goals at a celebration dinner. We invited in our local heroes to mingle with our generous donors that make the events with Impact Iowa's Heroes possible. This year we were able to present a challenge gift from Fareway and the Fareway family. I am honored to report that we not only met the challenge amount, we exceeded it! We are so thankful for the generosity of organizations and individuals across Iowa who support our organization.
Also at the dinner, Dr. Gary Rosberg was able to share how the vision of Impact Iowa's Heroes came to be. He was joined by retired Iowa Army National Guard General, Martin Graber, and current Des Moines Police Chief, Dana Wingert. Dr. Gary also passed on the baton of Impact Iowa's Heroes leadership to Aaron Groves, who was named as Executive Director at the event. We are excited to continue on and expand upon the mission and vision set into motion by Dr. Gary and Barb Rosberg.
Lastly, on behalf of America's Family Coaches, Dr. Gary presented four separate Championing Marriages awards at the dinner. Chris Risewick, Martin Graber, Dana Wingert, and Reynolds Cramer (accepted by Scott Beckwith) all were presented with an award for their efforts in strengthening marriages of Iowa's Heroes in the state of Iowa. We are thankful for their efforts!
ICCI Marriage Coaches
Impact Iowa’s Heroes has also invested in the training of future marriage coaches. We are working on a plan to utilize 10 coaches, mentored and trained by Dr. Gary and Barb Rosberg, to be a resource of Iowa hero couples who desire marriage coaching.
