DAVENPORT, Iowa — Every year, News 8 partners with Multiplying Good, the national Jefferson Awards organization, to recognize people who go above and beyond in our community.
Founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Senator Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard, the Jefferson Awards National Ceremonies are the country’s longest-standing and most prestigious celebration of public service.
Each year, eight people in the Quad Cities are nominated for the awards and one finalist is sent to represent our area at the National Jefferson Awards Ceremony.
In 2019, that was Dr. Kit Ford, the founder and director of Argrow's House of Healing and Hope. The nonprofit, started in 2017, provides services to women who are healing from violence and abuse. The women also make and sell bath and body products.
She was one of five people nationwide to be recognized with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities.
"I think for us, it was a huge blessing, because it not only got the word out about the work that we were doing in the community here in the Quad Cities, but it also helped to develop trust amongst people to support what we were doing, to buy our soaps, to donate, but also to just care about what we were doing with serving women and children in our community," Dr. Ford said.
Since then, Argrow's House has paid off its mortgage for its first house, renovated its Moline manufacturing facility, started a counseling center at the Esperanza Center and most recently, opened a storefront in Davenport.
Dr. Ford has also since joined the national Board of Selectors for the Jefferson Awards, voting on each year's winners.
Ford said Multiplying Good is starting quarterly online workshops for recipients to attend and learn from each other.
"It's not just an award, it's a network of people in our community all around the country that are doing their best to really multiply good and serve each other," she said.
That's why Dr. Ford encourages people to nominate others for the award.
"I encourage those who are even doing good in the community, or those, there's a whole pool of people in the Quad Cities that have been nominated for the Jefferson Award. I encourage you to nominate someone else, because it is a ripple effect," Dr. Ford said.
News 8 is accepting nominations online through the end of December. Click here to find the nomination form.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel