Community Outreach Program
The Des Moines Arts Festival and premier sponsor, MidAmerican Energy Foundation, team up to present the Community Outreach Program. This award-winning program offers nonprofit organizations the opportunity to participate on-site and share their mission and programming with thousands of guests free of charge. In exchange for the free booth space, each organization provides an interactive arts-related activity for guests.
Presented by:
“Best Community Outreach Program”
~ International Festivals and Events Association Gold Pinnacle Award

Anawim Housing
Anawim Housing strives to develop stable homes and strengthen people and communities by providing permanent supportive housing, supportive services, and programs such as ReNew Crew––a supportive social enterprise for upskilling Anawim clients seeking stable employment. Founded as a vision of Sister Stella Neill in 1987, Anawim Housing has grown into Iowa’s largest provider of PSH and a leader in affordable housing development, providing both affordable and market rate housing for nearly 1,000 individuals and families across Iowa.
Activity
Create your own vision of a home with Anawim Housing by using watercolor pencils and paper. Everyone's artwork will be emblematic of their experiences, aspirations, and the diverse meaning of housing. Once created, these individual pieces will be combined to form larger collective artworks that will be displayed publicly, symbolizing unity, hope, and the importance of stable housing for all.
Art is Rad
Art is Rad aims to make art accessible, fun, and inclusive for every community member. Through Art Night events and community-driven art projects, Art is Rad provides creative outlets for all ages and skill levels. Art is Rad believes art has the power to transform lives, build connections, and inspire positive change.
Activity
Join Art is Rad for ‘You Are an Important Piece’, a hands-on community art project where participants can decorate a puzzle piece that connects to a larger collaborative artwork. The final piece, symbolizing the value of everyone in a united whole, will be displayed at the DSM Children’s Museum following the Festival. You can also color and send Art is Rad postcards to share their experience with friends and family.
Blank Park Zoo
Blank Park Zoo has been part of the Des Moines metro community since 1963. Blank Park Zoo’s mission is to inspire an appreciation of the natural world through conservation, education, research, and recreation. Blank Park Zoo believes everything is connected. Blank Park Zoo is the only zoo that is AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) accredited in the state of Iowa.
Activity
This year, your art is returning to the Zoo! Show the Blank Park Zoo what you love most about the Zoo by creating your own picture using markers or paint pens on acrylic. Your artwork will be proudly displayed at the Blank Park Zoo for an entire year!
Des Moines Choral Society
With a 45 year tradition in the community, the Des Moines Choral Society is an auditioned volunteer group of singers brought together by a unified passion for excellence in choral music. The choir consists of approximately seventy gifted and accomplished adult singers from throughout central Iowa and has been recognized by the Iowa Arts Council for its exceptional concert performances.
Activity
Join the Des Moines Choral Society as they use Google Music Lab to show your voices on a computer and how you compare to famous artists. Along with the music, there will be coloring activities available.
Dorothy's House
Dorothy's House is a safe place for the practice of life for those whose lives have been interrupted by human trafficking, exploitation and prostitution. Dorothy’s House provides a foundation of safety, basic needs, and access to resources to remove barriers and provide community engagement to allow survivors to find their healing journeys.
Activity
Visit Dorothy's House and create beautiful paper mosaics. With several patterns to choose from––from the sun to flowers––and varying levels of difficulty for kids of all ages! There will be pre-cut pieces of construction paper in a variety of colors so kids can get right to work on their mosaic project!
Ellipsis
Ellipsis is central Iowa’s critical safety net for kids and families in need. By providing the care, encouragement and skills development needed for a lifetime of success, Ellipsis is breaking down barriers, rewriting stories and empowering families to thrive together.
Activity
Create symbolic pause bracelets with Ellipsis. An ellipsis (...) in a sentence signifies a pause. A pause bracelet serves as a reminder to take a moment for mental health. Pause bracelets feature three beads, symbolizing the three dots of an ellipsis, encouraging you to pause for your mental health.
Heartland Youth Choir
Heartland Youth Choir, founded in 2003, provides a performance-based program for youth that emphasizes musical literacy and character development through the rehearsal and performance of quality choral literature. Heartland Youth Choir offers a unique opportunity for children of diverse backgrounds with a particular aptitude in vocal music to explore that interest beyond their school setting. Kids are able to start singing with HYC at the age of 4 and can continue all the way through high school.
Activity
Visit the Heartland Youth Choir volunteers as they help kids build their very own kazoos out of everyday items.
Horizon Science Academy Des Moines
Horizon Science Academy is a public charter school located in Des Moines. Horizon Science Academy opened in 2023 to Kindergarten through 3rd grade and has added a grade level each school year since.
Activity
Join the Horizon Science Academy by utilizing leaves and other natural items to explore texture, shape, and nature. With many different mediums available such as crayons, markers, and colored pencils, there is so much to explore!
Iowa Bird Rehabilitation
Iowa Bird Rehabilitation is committed to rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing wild birds in Iowa. Iowa Bird Rehabilitation strives to provide immediate care for injured, sick, and orphaned birds, ensuring their return to the wild, while educating and engaging the community about the critical need for bird conservation. Established as a non-profit in 2018, Iowa Bird Rehabilitation serves as a vital resource in central Iowa, supported by volunteers who help in rescue operations, care, and educational outreach, promoting a deeper connection and responsibility towards our natural environment.
Activity
Join Iowa Bird Rehabilitation in celebrating the clever, creative spirit of crows by making your own Crow Totem—a hanging sculpture made from found and repurposed objects! Crows are known for collecting shiny, unusual, and sometimes surprising items. In this hands-on activity, you’ll use small objects like washers, beads, buttons, twigs, and other discarded treasures. Then, tie them onto a string to build your own unique hanging totem. Your totem can be wild and whimsical or carefully curated—just like the collections crows make.
Iowa Dance Theatre
Iowa Dance Theatre
Iowa Dance Theatre produces a season of dance events including the comedy of Dracula––the battle of good and evil, the Nutcracker––a seasonal celebration of love and kindness, and a spring show that warms the heart as well as a summer collaboration of art, music, and dance.
Activity
Come experience a playful interaction of fabric and motion with Iowa Dance Theatre. Discover your personal path. Be the unique you in motion.
Iowa Radio Reading Information Service for the Blind (IRIS)
IRIS aims to deliver equal access to literature to the community by reading newspapers aloud over the radio, performing live audio description at theatrical performances, and community events.
Activity
Visit the IRIS and learn how to use paint to write your first name in Braille on cardstock.
Living History Farms
Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa, tells the amazing story of how Iowans transformed the fertile prairies of the Midwest into the most productive farmland in the world. While at the 500-acre open-air museum, visitors travel at their own pace through historical time periods spanning 300 years. On-site interpreters provide a unique learning environment of seasonal activities and demonstrations.
Activity
Make your own Victorian-style fan using paper and craft supplies! Join Living History Farms to learn how people in the Victorian era used fans to send secret messages without saying a word. A fun make-and-take activity with a touch of history!
Pulse 101.7FM
Pulse 101.7FM is a carefully curated selection of Positive Pop & Hip Hop with a message of hope that aims to uplift and inspire the community of any background. Pulse 101.7 strives to bring meaningful experiences and opportunities for personal growth through fun music, engaging DJs, and impactful events. It's not just another radio station. Pulse 101.7 is access to positive music relevant to today’s listener via radio in the Des Moines area and around the world via online streaming and the free app.
Activity
Join Pulse 101.7FM and use ink pads and markers to create unique, animal designs using your own fingerprints.
Raising Readers in the Heartland
Raising Readers in the Heartland’s mission is to inspire a life-long love of reading by providing new, high-quality books for ALL children from birth to age five who live in funded zip codes in Polk County.
Activity
With Raising Readers in the Heartland, guests will be able to make a craft based on ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ book. Selecting a fruit or vegetable cutout and string beads on a pipe cleaner, and at the end children will have a new caterpillar friend to take home that is very hungry.
Repurpose Rising
Repurpose Rising is the nonprofit behind Partial Arts, Central Iowa’s first and only Creative Reuse Center, located in Pleasant Hill. Repurpose Rising collects donated art and craft supplies and makes them available to the community at low cost—keeping materials out of landfills and putting them into the hands of creators. Repurpose Rising’s mission is to make creativity accessible, sustainable, and community-driven through upcycling, education, and connection. Whether you're an artist, teacher, student, or D.I.Y. enthusiast, Partial Arts is your local hub for eco-friendly inspiration.
Activity
Join Repurpose Rising for fun, eco-friendly craft projects using repurposed materials! Make your own sparkly shell necklace, a mini cork sailboat, or (while supplies last) a no-sew t-shirt tote bag. These hands-on activities are beginner friendly, sensory-aware, and celebrate the joy of turning everyday items into something new.
Roots Capoeira de Ouro
At Roots Capoeira, we believe in the transformative power of the arts. Through Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art that blends movement, music, and history, Roots Capoeira empowers youth and the broader community to develop resilience, creative problem-solving skills, and self-expression. Roots Capoeira’s free after school programming and reduced-cost community class options ensure that financial barriers never stand in the way of accessing the arts. By fostering leadership opportunities for teens, Roots Capoeira helps cultivate confidence, mentorship, and personal growth. Whether in the roda (circle) or beyond, participants learn to adapt, collaborate, and express themselves in ways that strengthen both individuals and communities.
Activity
Move, Make, and Play! Visit Roots Capoeira and create your own pipe cleaner person and pose it like a Capoeira figure using stick-figure guides. Try the poses yourself, then take home a mini travel game with your pipe cleaner figure and pose cards--some made by Roots Capoeira, some created by you!
Science Center of Iowa
Centrally located in Downtown Des Moines, Science Center of Iowa features hands-on exhibits, special-format theaters, and unique programming to encourage learning that is fun for all ages. Through daily visitors, a statewide educational outreach programs, and the NAEYC-accredited SCI Preschool, the Science Center of Iowa serves more than 300,000 people annually.
Activity
Join the Science Center of Iowa for a creative and colorful craft where you can make your own solar bead bracelet. Using special beads that change color in sunlight, guests will design a unique bracelet that not only looks great but also teaches about UV light and solar energy.
Sista Soul Fest
Sista Soul Fest aims to create a space for women––especially women of color––to offer, sell, and display their talents, gifts, and businesses. Sista Soul Fest allows women and young girls of all ages to come together as sisters to network, encourage, inspire and just show up for each other. Every year Sista Soul Fest is honored to recognize several sisters, with the "We See You Sis" award. This award shows the appreciation and recognition of the hard work, dedication and embodiment of women empowerment they each display throughout every community.
Activity
Join Sista SoulFest for a unique experience and design your own outfit. Design your own paper clothing item with crayons or markers and other embellishments!
St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines
St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines offers help to those within the local community with access to food, clothing, and hygiene pantries. Along with community programs that help individuals gain meaningful employment and others to acclimate when being released from incarceration.
Activity
Craft dragonflies posed on rocks with St. Vincet de Paul of Des Moines. To create a dragonfly, guests will be using a clothespin, animated eyes, and pipe cleaner for wings. Guests will get to color the body, and, in the end, it will also work as a note holder.
The Joy of Art
The Joy of Art’s mission is to provide access to art supplies and artistic experiences for youth who lack supplies at home, youth who are in need, and any child wanting to explore their creativity. This is done through art kits, which are pouches of art materials, that are sent around the world; and art workshops and camps that have scholarships available for all students to attend.
Activity
Create your very own puzzle piece magnet with The Joy of Art. Choose a puzzle piece and decorate it with crayons, oil pastels, paint pens, and more—then take it home as a magnet. This fun, symbolic project is great for all ages and celebrates how every piece in the world matters.



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