United Way of Jasper County speaker series 'Voices of Inspiration' returns 2025

NEWTON - NEWTON - United Way of Jasper County's innovative and educational programming  “Voices of Inspiration” second annual spring series will wrap up with one more special guests - Mary Anne Owe - on April 10.
​
United Way of Jasper County welcomes Mary Anne Owen for an evening of stories about her mother and father -- actress Donna Reed and producer Tony Owen, and her family's legacy in Iowa, Hollywood and beyond, and the value of education and following one's dreams instilled in her by her parents. Mary also will discuss her work with The Donna Reed Foundation, headquartered in her mother's hometown of Denison, Iowa. And attendees are in for a special experience as Mary will be sharing never-before-seen images from her mother's meticulously kept scrapbooks. Don't miss out on this amazing program.
​“Voices of Inspiration” will feature engaging speakers who will inspire, motivate and inform the audience. The series aligns with the core mission of United Way of Jasper County, which is to uplift and empower the community, and promote life-long learning.

Adults and students alike are encouraged to attend. The event is open to all with a free-will admission collected to help continue and grow the speaker series.

The program is made possible thanks to generous support from presenting sponsors Dodd's Trash Hauling & Recycling and Black Hills Energy. Additional funding and support is from Ryan's Tire & Auto, Doug & Rhonda Wolfe Family, Pence-Reese Funeral Home, Jessica Lowe Vokes and Erik Vokes and DMACC Newton Campus.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:
● Doors open at 6 p.m. No early admission will be allowed.
● Line up is not allowed before 5 p.m.
● Please no recording. Photographs are welcome.
● Do not bring large bags or backpacks. Space is limited and we want to make sure as many people can have seats as possible.
● Admission is free but donations are accepted to support our mission.
● Seating is first come, first served. Capacity is 325 people. We will not be able to seat more than that.

​PAST GUESTS INCLUDE:
● Philanthropist and viral sign guy Carson King
● Former professional athlete & UNI Hall of Famer, motivation speaker Andre Allen
● Environmentalist, activitst, retired teacher and Native American Carol Kramer
● Iowa historian and professor Kevin Mason
● Olympic Wrestling Champion, coach, motivational speaker Ben Peterson
● Emmy Award-winning TV Host and Newton native Sara Haines 
● Spy historian, author and film consultant Gary Powers, Jr.
● Famed Norway baseball coach, author and speaker Kent Stock 
●Newton resident, award-winning journalist and author Mike Chapman 
● Journalist, professor and former Newton resident Ty Rushing 

PRESENTING SPONSORS:

PARTNER SPONSORS:

Doug & Rhonda Wolf Family

Jessica Lowe Vokes
​& Erik Vokes

SPECIAL THANKS

Speaker Biographies

MARY ANNE OWEN
​- April 10, 2025

Picture
MARY OWEN is the youngest daughter of the Academy Award winning actress Donna Reed and Hollywood producer Tony Owen. She grew up in Beverly Hills and lived in Los Angeles before moving to New York City in 2004. 
​
She graduated from the City University of New York in 2016 with a degree in Literature & Communication. Mary has introduced the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," to national audiences every holiday season since 2007.

​Mary has been featured on Turner Classic Movies, IFC and CBS Sunday Morning News as she works to preserve her mother's legacy. Mary was instrumental in exhibiting Donna's World War II letters at the FDR Library and Museum in Hyde Park, at the New York Historical Society and at the WWII Wright Museum in New Hampshire. She is currently the treasurer and administrator of the Donna Reed Foundation headquartered in her mother's hometown of Denison, Iowa. 

Mary recently moved from NYC to Iowa City to better support the Donna Reed Foundation on the anniversary year of Donna's centennial in 2021, where among other things Donna was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame. 

To learn more about the Donna Reed Foundation please visit donnareed.org. 

Past Speaker Biographies

CARSON KING - April 4, 2024

Picture
CARSON KING – What started out as a funny sign asking for beer money turned into a life changing event for Jasper County, Iowa-native Carson King. During ESPN’s College Game Day coverage of the Iowa State University football game, King’s “need beer money” sign caught national attention. After a few hundred dollars in contributions came in, King decided to donate the total amount to University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospitals (Less $18 for a case of Busch Light). Word spread and King’s plans went viral leading to a $3 million donation from more than 35,000 donors. Today, King continues his philanthropic work through the Carson King Foundation.
​Learn more at www.carsonkingfoundation.org

ANDRÉ ALLEN - April 11, 2024

ANDRÉ ALLEN – André Allen grew up in King-Irvin neighborhood during the critical time of a heighten crime, drug trafficking and prostitution. He moved from the country side of Itta Bena, Mississippi, to the low-income living in Des Moines, Iowa, but he dreamed of one day living a life where his environment would not negate his position in life. So after graduation he accepted a full scholarship to the University of Northern Iowa where he became one of the most feared Linebackers in the game of football. After graduation from college his dreams of joining the NFL became a reality as an undrafted free agent to the Philadelphia Eagles. After a two-year bid in the NFL, Allen’s career carried him to World Football League for the London Monarchs. He then played for the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League. Allen currently holds a B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa & B.A. from Hamilton Business college and a Masters of Business Administration/Technology Management from the University of Phoenix. In addition, he carries other certifications and leadership trainings. Allen has three sons, André (AJ), Trevor and Ayden. - 
Learn more at: https://www.blackexcellenceiowa.org/andréallen

CAROL KRAMER - April 25, 2024

CAROL KRAMER - Carol Kramer is an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and a life-long conservationist and educator. She was born on the White Earth Reservation in Northern Minnesota and raised by my Anishenabey parents. She lived in a traditional Ojibway home with her father supporting the family by trapping mink, beaver and ermine and hunting wild game in the winter. The whole family helped by finishing Maple syrup and sugar, berry picking, cutting pulp to sell to paper companies, and harvesting wild rice.
Kramer graduated from Bemidji State College. She and her husband Rev. Fritz Kramer were married in 1956, and moved to Newton in 1966 to raise their family. During their time in Newton, they were active in many groups, volunteering thousands of hours, and hosting dozens of foreign exchange students, campaign workers and other visitors to stay in their home.
​Kramer shared she was involved in “too many things” to list but includes Jasper Conservation Board, Iowa State Dept. of Natural Resources, Project AWAKE Board, Military Academy, Skiff Auxiliary, Willowbrook Day Center and Mitchellville Women’s Correctional Institute, along with many political offices, church involvement. 

KEVIN MASON ​- May 2, 2024

Picture
Dr. KEVIN MASON, Ph.D. - Kevin Mason serves as Associate Professor of History at Waldorf University, an award-winning author and a member of the State Historical Society of Iowa Board of Trustees.
​Mason is also the founder of Notes on Iowa, a social media channel that shares daily interesting historical facts about Iowa and Iowans. Focusing on the history of the American Midwest, and Iowa specifically, Mason strives to help the Iowa community better understand our shared past through multimedia storytelling.  
Learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/NotesOnIowa
or ​www.notesoniowa.com

BEN PETERSON - May 9, 2024

BEN PETERSON - Ben Peterson is former gold-medal winning Olympic wrestler. He competed in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won a gold and a silver medal, respectively. He also won a bronze in the 1973 World Championships and a gold medal in the 1975 Pan American Games.
As a college wrestler, Peterson was a two-time NCAA champion at Iowa State. Peterson also coached wrestling at Maranatha Baptist University for 28 years. In 1977, Ben and his brother John, a fellow gold-medal Olympic wrestler, started Camp of Champs Wrestling Camps to help develop wrestling and leadership skills in youth. In 2002, he was inducted in to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 
Peterson lives in his native Wisconsin with his family, and continues to champion the sport of wrestling, and travels the country sharing his insight and wisdom for life both on and off the mat.
​Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/people/Camp-of-Champs-INC/100064435344183/

SARA HAINES - Aug. 6, 2024

SARA HAINES - Sara Haines is a co-host of ABC’s Emmy® Award-winning daytime talk show “The View” and the host of ABC’s primetime game show “The Chase.” Haines returned to “The View” panel in 2020 for season 24, having been a co-host in 2016-2018 for seasons 20-21. Haines previously co-hosted ABC News’ “GMA 3: Strahan, Sara & Keke.” Prior to her association with ABC News in 2013, Haines was part of the fourth hour of NBC’s “Today” alongside Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, a position she held from 2009 to 2013. In 2008, she began online reporting as host of the program’s entertainment video blog, “Backstage Pass,” interviewing countless celebrity entertainers, actors and musicians.Haines came aboard “Today” in 2002 as a production coordinator. Prior to joining NBC News, she was a member of NBC’s page program.
Haines graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in government. She is a native of Newton, Iowa. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband, Max, and three young children, Alec, Sandra and Caleb.

GARY POWERS, JR.
​- Aug. 8, 2024

GARY POWERS, Jr. ​- Gary Powers Jr. is a historian, author, speaker and son of the late Gary Powers, U2 Spy Plane Pilot. Powers’ newest book, “Enemy Territory,” is a graphic novel about the U-2 Incident. My recent book, “Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversial Cold War Legacy,” helps to set the record straight in regards to the fake news that surround the U-2 Incident and tarnished his father’s reputation. It gives an overview of what it was like to grow up in the shadow of a famous Cold War figure, my search for the truth after my father’s death in 1977 when I was 12 years old, and how my research led to the USAF and CIA posthumously awarding my father the POW Medal / Director’s Medal and Silver Star in 2000 and 2012 respectively. Powers has lectured internationally on the Cold War, his famous father, the U-2 Incident, espionage, and the need to honor Cold War veterans, preserve Cold War history, and educate future generations about this time period for over 30 years. Powers was also a consultant on Spielberg’s 2015 Cold War thriller, “Bridge of Spies,” that depicts his father’s exchange for Soviet spy Rudolph Able in 1962 at the Glienicke Bridge in Potsdam, Germany.
www.garypowers.com

KENT STOCK - Sept. 12, 2024

KENT STOCK - A teacher, coach, middle school principal, banker and powerful speaker, Kent Stock is also the man who coached the Norway baseball team during their now-famous final season. As depicted in the 2007 film, The Final Season, the nationally recognized Norway baseball team came together under then first-year head baseball coach Stock to defy the odds and win Norway’s 20th state title in what would become the team’s final season before merging with a bigger, neighboring school district. Stock released a book titled, “Heading for Home: My Journey from Little League to Hollywood” outlining his life’s journey and the behind the scenes stories of filming a movie. While a long-time inspirational force for the many students he has taught and coached over the years, their families and countless education providers, Stock launched his professional speaking career in 2007. His inspirational message has a powerful impact on young and old alike and transcends the field, classroom, or office. He currently lives in Marion, Iowa. with his wife Laurie and they have two adult daughters.
Learn more at: https://kentstock.com/​

MIKE CHAPMAN
​- Sept. 26, 2024 & March 6, 2025

MIKE CHAPMAN - A​ native of Waterloo, Iowa, Mike Chapman retired from a 35-year newspaper career in 2002 and in 2009 retired from an 11-year career serving as the executive director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum (DGIWIM). Currently, Chapman writes books and gives speeches on a wide variety of topics, ranging from Iowa history to the sport of wrestling and to Greek mythology and the Trojan War. He has written 32 books, 17 of them on wrestling, and his articles have appeared in dozens of national and regional magazines. He also wrote the official biography of the nation’s longest serving state governor – Terry Branstad. He has produced four videos and has two screenplays in Hollywood. He has also been featured in a number of documentaries including “Kinnick: The Documentary.” Chapman also created the “Iowa History Journal” and “W.I.N.” publications. He resides in Newton with his wife Bev.
Learn more at: https://www.mike-chapman.com/

TY RUSHING - Oct. 24, 2024

TY RUSHING - Ty Rushing is a Kansas City, Kansas, native who made a name for himself as an award-winning Iowa journalist. He broke barriers as the first Black reporter and/or editor at eight Iowa print publications across the state. Rushing started his career at the then-Newton Daily News, where he was voted favorite media personality twice in the Jasper County Readers Choice Awards and lost the Thanks with Franks hot dog eating contest in tremendous fashion. Throughout this journey, Rushing has written about everything from agriculture to race relations to disastrous taco festivals. Recently, he wrote, produced, and directed an Emmy-nominated documentary film for Iowa PBS. He received the 2024 Greenlee/Kappa Tau Alpha Diversity & Inclusion Award from the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University. Rushing is the co-founder and president of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists and previously served as chief political correspondent of Iowa Starting Line. He resides with his wife in the Iowa City area and is a journalism professor at the University of Iowa. Learn more at: https://tyrushing.substack.com/​

MATT STUTZMAN
​- Feb. 27, 2025

MATT STUTZMAN was inexplicably born without arms in December of 1982, Matt’s birthparents were soon overwhelmed with the obvious challenges that lay ahead. He was put up for adoption, and in January of 1984, Matt was welcomed into the home of Leon and Jean Stutzman. A remarkably patient, compassionate and strong willed couple, the Stutzmans guided Matt through a youth of seemingly insurmountable obstacles of everyday living largely taken for granted in an able-bodied world. Their philosophy was simple; Matt was permitted to try almost anything…if he could do it on his own. Years later, the result is a extraordinary young man, a family man, who can do virtually anything with his feet. Today, perhaps the most remarkable thing about Matt is that he lives without prosthetics, in a completely un-adapted world. His home, car and life are void of modifications of any sort. He lives in the same world you do and has found a way to do virtually everything with his feet. This includes eating, grooming and writing, as well as playing the guitar, car maintenance and of course, extraordinary abilities with a bow and arrow. As a member of the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Archery Team, Matt competed 2012 London Games that culminated with a Silver Medal. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Matt battled the #1,#2,#3 ranked archers during single elimination and secured his Gold Medal by setting a Paralympic Games Record by shooting a 149 out of 150 in the final match. Dubbed The Armless Archer, Matt’s remarkable story has captured the attention of the media around the world.

REBUILD NEPAL -
​ERNIE SCHILLER & NATHAN UNSWORTH
​- March 13, 2025

Rebuild Nepal Education Foundation was founded with the mission to assist the young students in remote regions of Nepal recover and insure that their education is uninterrupted after the devastating earthquake of 2015. This earthquake not only destroyed their schools but destroyed their homes and livelihood. Rebuild Nepal Education Foundation supports the students in their quest to stay in school. Founded by Ernie Schiller the program has helped provide school supplies and other vital necessities during the past decade to more than 20,000 children. Nathan Unsworth, former Newton resident, met Schiller through his work in conservation in Southeast Iowa. Learning about Schiller's work and foundation Unsworth went on a trip in 2022 and said it was "life changing." He will return with Schiller in summer 2025. 
Both men will be sharing the work of Rebuild Nepal, their personal stories, and the stories of the people they are working to help in Nepal. 
Learn more at https://rebuildnepaleducation.org/

TERRY RICH - March 27, 2025

TERRY RICH is a successful CEO and President of 25 years who loves to engage and entertain audiences across the globe.   Oh, and he led the team that busted the largest lottery fraud in U.S. history, was a guest on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show”, ran a zoo and gave away $1 Billion.During his appointment by three Governors, his leadership increased lottery sales and profits by 50%. He also led the Blank Park Zoo to profitability from a $600,000 deficit while positioning it as the second largest attended attraction in the state. But his national insight on business, banking, gaming, TV production, marketing and PR led him to success in his professional career and to his passion for public speaking.
He’s a disruptive innovator and entrepreneur with a drive for integrity and honesty. He’s worked in the trenches, survived new business trends and had success with generational changes. Terry’s keynotes are energetic, motivating and perfect for an early morning, lunch or after dinner presentation. Terry Rich has two books: The $80 Billion Gamble and Dare to Dream, Dare to Act.
Learn more at: https://terryspeaks.com/​

Presenting Sponsor

Partnering Sponsors

Doug & Rhonda Wolf
​& Family

Jessica Lowe Vokes
​& Erik Vokes

Site Host & In-Kind Sponsor