Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri-States Recognized as 2024 Crawford Cares Winner

DUBUQUE, IA - For the eleventh year in a row, Crawford North, a division of Crawford Company, has honored nonprofits dedicated to service and making a positive impact in the region. Since 2014, Crawford has awarded $30,000 to nonprofits serving Dubuque and surrounding communities.

The 2024 overall Crawford Cares winner is Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri-States, while the runners-up are Friends of the Dubuque County Library and Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa.

Fourteen area nonprofit organizations were nominated through the Crawford Cares Program. There was no voting period this year.  

All judging was done by an impartial team not employed by Crawford Company. The overall winner received a $3,000 donation, presented by Crawford North. The two runners-up each received a donation in the amount of $1,000.

The overall winner was announced, and finalists recognized during an awards ceremony held at Old Chicago-Dubuque. To be eligible, the nominees had to be a Dubuque area 501(c)3 organization, have a Board of Directors and be nominated by a local resident. All nominees had to serve local causes for the purpose of having a positive impact on the region. The organizations were also required to demonstrate they were mission-focused and operating on limited resources.

Summary of the 2024 Crawford Cares Winners:

Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa promotes and encourages public well-being; provides homeless prevention resources to those living in poverty and threatened with homelessness; helps individuals and families survive and exit homelessness; and expands opportunities and empowers people to be self-sufficient in east central Iowa cities and counties. CSEI has three key programs, all which serve individuals and families experiencing a housing crisis in critical ways: Housing Helpline, Housing Programs and Street Outreach. CSEI values collaborative partnerships to reach their goals, and this includes the diversity of knowledge and experience provided by their leadership and team. CSEI works to ensure that their dollars serve their community efficiently. Thanks to their funding partners, they are able to dedicate over 80% of their budget to directly assisting individuals and families experiencing homelessness or a housing crisis through direct financial assistance, items to meet basic needs, planning services, and intensive case management. CSEI is a nonprofit subsidiary of the East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA).

Friends of the Dubuque County Library is a nonprofit (501c3) volunteer organization that supports the Dubuque County Library District through advocacy, education, and fundraising. Friends of the Library have done the following: painted and refurbished the Epworth branch, supplemented funds for Library collections, purchased the library’s subscription to Ancestry.com, supported the Summer Reading Program, applied for and received grants on behalf of the library, participated in community parades, hosted and funded library receptions and purchased library equipment. 

Honor Flight of Dubuque and the Tri-States is a non-profit organization created solely to honor veterans living in Northeast Iowa, Southwest Wisconsin, and Northwest Illinois for all their sacrifices. They transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect on their memorials. Of all the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation and as a culturally diverse, free society. Now, with so many World War II, Korean, and Vietnam veterans dying each day, the time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out.

There were eleven additional nonprofits nominated – They include:

Area Residential Care

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque

Dubuque County Fair Association

Dubuque Regional Humane Society

Hospice of Dubuque

Platteville Community Arboretum

Resources Unite

St. Mark Youth Enrichment

The Workshop

Whispurring Hope Animal Rescue

Wisconsin Badger Camp