Michelle Hill spoke at the OpportUNITY Summit about the impact of the Waukee Apex Program and accepted the Leading the Way Award on behalf of the program. Pictured: Elisabeth Buck, chief community impact officer of United Way of Central Iowa and Michelle Hill, director of Waukee APEX.
On Tuesday, Jan.24, 2017, Waukee Aspiring Professional Experience (APEX) was among five organizations to receive the OpportUNITY’s Leading the Way Award at the OpportUNITY Summit hosted by the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.
This award recognizes organizations who are leading the way in our collective effort to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in Central Iowa. Des Moines Public Schools – Central Campus, Oakridge Neighborhood Services, Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families and Children & Families of Iowa also received the award.
“Receiving the Leading the Way award was a recognition for the district and greater community who have all had a hand in helping craft and grow the Waukee Apex program,” said Waukee APEX director, Michelle Hill.
OpportUNITY is a collective impact initiative designed to increase opportunity and prosperity for the 192,000 central Iowans living in poverty. This month’s OpportUNITY Summit focused on Youth Career Readiness and showcased non-profits, businesses and education programs that are impacting our community to help with youth career readiness.
Hill spoke in front of more than 200 attendees about the impact Waukee APEX is having on students and Iowa’s workforce. By collaborating with different businesses, this program is providing the opportunity for high school students to work with professionals, receive real-world experiences and explore different career paths.
“It was inspiring to hear about so many programs who share our vision and dedication to supporting our youth. I would encourage all businesses to reach out to any of the programs on these panels to help support youth career readiness opportunities as an investment in Iowa’s future workforce,” Hill said.