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Friends, 

Whether I'm home in Iowa or in Washington, D.C., I'm continuing to highlight the challenges facing Iowans today and work to find solutions that can help our communities thrive. Read on to find some highlights from the State of the Union Address, my town halls across Southwest Iowa, and a special edition of our Iowan of the Week program.

At the State of the Union Address, Highlighting Teacher and Student Mental Health

My State of the Union guest, Clay Elementary special education teacher Shannon Baity, and I at the Library of Congress.

Our teachers and students need to be equally prepared for each day of learning, including making sure they aren’t overburdened by stress and other mental health challenges.

As we reflected on our nation's priorities at the State of the Union address, I was thrilled to have Mrs. Shannon Baity of Southeast Polk Community School District join me to highlight the importance of investments in mental health resources for both students and teachers to maintain safe and healthy learning environments.

Mrs. Baity is a special education teacher at Clay Elementary in Altoona, and currently works with multiple groups of students, including many students who require individualized lessons, direct instruction, and interaction between normal instruction periods. Read more about her here.

Holding Town Halls in Beaverdale, Creston, and West Des Moines

Last month's Veterans Town Hall was held at Beaverdale VFW Post 9127

In January, I held town halls with veterans at the VFW hall in Beaverdale, at Southwestern Community College in Creston, and at my high school alma mater in West Des Moines!

At my veterans town hall in Beaverdale, I spoke to local veterans about the bills we're working on in Congress — and the ones we've passed into law — that are serving the veterans who served and protected our country. True to their service, some Iowa veterans who attended also had great new ideas about how to help their fellow veterans. Read more about those bills here.

Hearing directly from Iowans across my district allows me to bring your voices to Washington and fight for solutions that are good for Iowa. To find a town hall near you, sign up for my newsletter or click here.

Honoring Iowa's Last Holocaust Survivor as "Iowan of the Week"

David Wolnerman has written a book and spoken to local school children about his time surviving Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Dachau before coming to Iowa

January 27th marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and in the spirit of recognizing and remembering the atrocities of the Holocaust, it was my honor to name David Wolnerman one of my Iowans of the Week.

David was only 13 years old when his home country of Poland was invaded by the Nazis. He survived Auschwitz, Birkenau, & Dachau — and later moved to Iowa when his kids began attending Drake University. Today, he is believed to be Iowa's last remaining Holocaust survivor. 

David has written a book and spoken to schools about his experiences, ensuring that his story is accessible for this and future generations. You can hear him tell his story here.

One of my favorite parts of representing Iowa’s Third Congressional District is the opportunity it gives me to celebrate outstanding and often unsung Iowans for their work through my Iowan of the Week program. To nominate someone for the honor, write to my office and tell me why you think they deserve to be Iowan of the Week.

Visiting One of Iowa's Last Remaining Ben Franklin General Stores in Winterset

Meeting with Dave and Judy Trask, owners of the Winterset Ben Franklin

As I was traveling around Southwest Iowa this month, I took some time to stop by Winterset to visit the Ben Franklin general store and talk with its owners, Dave and Judy Trask.

Trips to our local Ben Franklin were a special treat when I was growing up, and this Ben Franklin is now one of only four left in Iowa! I also spoke to the Winterset Madisonian while I was in town to recap my first year in Congress and what I'm working on in 2020.

If you know of a good local business or have an event coming up that you'd like me to join, let me know here.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Thank you, 

Cindy