Activities
Applications openSeptember 26 – October 25, 2026
Non-refundable program fee$100
Apply nowQuestions? Contact Honorable Ashley Stewart, Cotillion Chair · akaizo+applications@gmail.com
Start application
01Ivy League AKAdemy workshopsThe journey begins here, as early as 9th grade.
02A semester of growthCivic engagement, leadership, social media awareness, etiquette, entrepreneurship, arts & wellness.
03Debutantes & BeauxPresented as debutantes & Beaux at the Scholarship Cotillion senior year.
How the grant supports Willkie House
01
A modern playgroundFunding to help build an updated, modern playground for the children and families Willkie House serves.
02
A historic landmarkWillkie House at 900 17th Street in Sherman Hill was established in 1917 to host the War Recreation Board’s programs for Black servicemen training at Fort Des Moines. Renamed the Negro Community Center in 1933, by 1935 it served 70% of Des Moines’ Black community and 124 organizations. Led by Lillian Edmunds, its current building opened on June 17, 1951, named for Wendell Willkie, who called for equality of opportunity for all races. A State Historical Society of Iowa marker was dedicated there in 2022.
03
After-school and summer educationSupport for Willkie House’s after-school programming and summer education programming for elementary and middle school youth.