Invest in Iowa’s Children at the Save the Children Action Network Advocacy Summit

Looking for a way to get involved on a local level and become a changemaker for Iowa’s kids? Save the Children Action Network (SCAN)'s upcoming Advocacy Summit is an opportunity to do just that. Register to attend this free event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, 2025 at Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC), 100 Army Post Road in Des Moines. You’ll get to meet volunteers from across Iowa, learn about important issues Iowa kids and families are facing and get advocacy training so you can be a leader and changemaker in your community!  

Iowa children and families need strong voices like yours!

About the Advocacy Summit

Help give kids a voice by attending SCAN's Advocacy Summit in 2025. At the event, you can expect to hear from experts on topics like early childhood education and child hunger. You can also take part in Interactive Advocacy Trainings so you can learn how to become a SCAN advocate like Kelly Donnelly and her daughter, Maeve, who together with other Iowa advocates met with 26 lawmakers, delivered testimony 30 times and sent 395 emails to policymakers in 2025. The Advocacy Summit will also include a networking lunch and other activities.

The Advocacy Summit morning expert panel will feature:

• Kathy Underhill: DMARC’s new CEO and a hunger expert with over 20 years of experience working to fight food insecurity
• Dr. Amy Shriver: Pediatrician at Blank Children’s Pediatric Clinic, Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Iowa and expert on all things early childhood education
• Kelly Donnelly: SCAN Volunteer Leader with 30 years of experience as an early childhood educator and preschool director who understands the hardships Iowa families are facing

In the afternoon you will get to hear from state lawmakers for the “Learn from Lawmakers” panel to understand how to make your advocacy more impactful:

• Tracy Ehlert (Democrat representing House District 79): An award-winning early childhood educator and local small business owner, currently serving her 3rd term as a State Representative in Linn County
• Ryan Weldon (Republican representing House District 41): Previous Ankeny School Board President with a wide range of experience working in various business and nonprofit sectors, currently serving his first term as a State Representative in Polk County

While at the Advocacy Summit, you’ll hear personal stories of how volunteers are changing children’s futures through all their advocacy efforts. There are also opportunities to learn about attending local SCAN events virtually and in person and sending messages to Congress about the issues you care most about. All are welcome whether new to advocacy or long-time advocates.

Register for the 2025 Iowa State Advocacy Summit or contact Paige Chickering, Iowa State Manager at SCAN, at pchickering@savechildren.org. You can follow Save the Children Action Network on Facebook, Instagram and X for more information.

Improving the Greater Des Moines (DSM) community through volunteering and community service is a priority for many. Thanks to community engagement opportunities and leadership connecting local businesses to causes that provide services to improve the region, DSM continues to be a place that provides support for those who live, work and play here.