DAVENPORT, IOWA (April 12, 2022) — Each year, the Jaycees of the Quad Cities honors local community members who are making a positive impact in our area. This year, we were able to celebrate award recipients, Jaycees members, family and friends.
The Jaycees of the Quad Cities' Community Awards Celebration showcases individual excellence in leadership as demonstrated by outstanding initiative, impact of work, and inspiration of others. All recipients must be under the age of forty at the time of the celebration to be eligible.
• Community Leader: Chase Norris
• Educator: Emily Henneman
• City Servant: Sarah Ott
Awards included the following:
Young Community Leader Award — Chase Norris, Executive Director at Clock Inc
This award recognizes an individual whose leadership has made a significant impact in our local community. This work could include societal or civic issues, address health or environmental concerns, or promote arts and humanities. The Jaycees of the Quad Cities celebrate people who strive to serve the less fortunate in their communities through active involvement while encouraging others to do the same.
Norris started his first LGBT+ youth group at his internship site while completing his Masters in Education. As his time was coming to a close with this group, he couldn’t imagine ending this group at this point. This is where the idea for Clock Inc emerged. With input and direction from the youth themselves, a support group was able to carry on. The group was moved to a friend’s private practice until a community center of their own became a reality.
To date, individuals in over thirty cities in Iowa and Illinois have been served, totaling over 4,500 people. Recently, Clock Inc moved to a new location where they are able to more than triple their services. The community center is not only a safe space for youth, but an opportunity to develop leadership skills. Clock Inc has officially launched its advisory board made up of seven LGBT+ youth to establish leadership skills to develop and implement new youth services.
Young Educator Award — Emily Henneman, Spanish Teacher at Bettendorf High School
This award recognizes an individual whose leadership in the classroom and/or within the educational setting has made a significant impact on our local community. This individual works to educate the whole student, works creatively to achieve excellence in learning, demonstrates leadership at her educational institution, and is a positive role model for all ages.
Henneman is a second-year teacher at BHS, she has again remained dedicated to cultivating a welcoming and inclusive environment in her classroom and around the school. While in her first year, Emily had to adapt to a virtual learning environment for her students as COVID created unique challenges daily. In addition to helping her students achieve academic excellence, she is the leader of the GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) Club, where she guides students and allies within the LGBTQ+ community to have thought provoking conversations and learn more about standing up for diversity. Emily also spent nearly two years teaching Adult Basic Education and English as Second Language at Scott Community College to adults in the Quad Cities area who were looking to improve their language skills.
Young City Servant Award — Sarah Ott, Chief Strategy Officer at City of Davenport
This award recognizes an individual whose city leadership (elected or appointed office, administrator, police, firefighter, etc) has made a significant impact on our local community. This individual is a hard worker that strives to be helpful, honest, and fair while striving to make our community better.
Ott has been involved with multiple community programs, including the Youth Assessment Program, Group Violence Intervention and Focused Deterrence, planning and implementing of School Resource Officers in Davenport Community Schools, and forming the Scott County Law Enforcement Partnership with the NAACP and LULAC. When she worked on these projects, Ott took on leadership roles and was instrumental on researching and coming up with solutions.
Ott’s passion for public service, dedication to her community, outstanding leadership, hard-work ethic, selflessness, and collaboration with community partners has created lasting community wide impacts and inspired others, including myself, to strive to be more like her. You will not meet a more caring, genuine, humble, and kind public servant than Sarah Ott.
Davenport Jaycees Foundation Scholarship Recipient — Erica Sons, Assumption High School Student
Sons will be pursuing a Nursing degree at University of Iowa in the Fall.
This scholarship recognizes a resident of the State of Iowa and a student attending either Assumption High School, Bettendorf High School, Central High School, North High School, Pleasant Valley High School, or West High School who is entering their freshman year of college in the fall semester at an accredited post-secondary educational institution. They must be active in volunteer efforts within the Quad Cities community and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Sons came highly recommended by many individuals and has an impressive track record in both her academics and extracurricular activities. Sons is not only part of multiple school organizations, like the drama club and SADD, but also is an inductee of the National Honor Society and Junior Rotarian. She has also passed her clinical and written state exam to become a CNA as a high school student.
In her scholarship statement, Sons spoke about how being a minority has greatly impacted her journey and how it has set her up for success in the nursing field by providing a deeper understanding and empathy for her patients. We should all feel very fortunate to have people like Sons in the world, who want to go into a field that has seen so much struggle the past couple of years, and we are all very thankful for you and everyone in health-care.
In addition to the community leaders honored, the Jaycees honored three of their own members who went above and beyond for the Chapter and the community. This past year’s honorees included:
2021 Jaycees Member of the Year — Kelsey Watson
This award recognizes an individual member that has been actively involved with the chapter, shows great leadership, and is a role model to other members. This individual also seeks to grow involvement in the chapter.
2021 Jaycees Rookies of the Year — Rachel Stahle
This award recognizes a first-year member of the chapter that has shown great initiative and involvement in various Jaycees programs and events. This individual cooperates, works in good spirit, and uses her human personality as a gift.
2021 Chapter Key Person Award — Nikki Schaul
This award recognizes a seasoned member of the chapter that has shown great leadership and involvement in various Jaycees programs and events. This individual encourages other members to get involved and serves as a great sounding board for the chapter.
“We are honored to recognize the good work being done for the Quad Cities by so many influential individuals. As an organization with a mission based in giving back, we take pride in showing our gratitude for those who consistently make a positive impact on others. The Community Awards Celebration serves as token of our appreciation for the people who make the Quad Cities a wonderful place to live,” said Kate Mapes, Chairwomen of the Board, Jaycees of the Quad Cities.
About Jaycees of the Quad Cities:
Jaycees aim to build personal and professional relationships by working together on projects to strengthen and grow the Quad Cities community. The Quad Cities Chapter is one of the oldest chapters in the state of Iowa and has grown to include young professionals from both sides of the Mississippi River. They pride themselves on blending social opportunities with service such as planning the annual Bridal Expo and Bar-B-QC which raise funds for charitable initiatives.
If you would like more information on these awards or on becoming a member, please visit www.jayceesqc.org or call 563-484-004.
