2013 Scholarship Awards Dinner

Join us for Iowa's 2013 Matthew Shepard Scholarship Awards Dinner recognizing distinguished Iowa high school students who are openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.

Friday, June 7, 2013

5:30pm Reception
6:45pm Dinner

Keynote Speakers

Dennis and Judy Shepard are the parents of Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old college student who was kidnapped, savagely beaten and left to die in 1998, because he was gay.

His death invigorated people around the world to protest anti-gay rhetoric, violence and bigotry. The Shepards recently completed a five-country, two-week Eastern European outreach trip with the US State Department sharing their story and working to expand LGBT rights and protections.

2013 Lifetime Achievement Award

Alicia Claypool is a nonprofit entrepreneur, having founded or co-founded three not for profit organizations: the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, Iowa Safe Schools, and Iowa Immigration Education Coalition. She is currently engaged in creating the Latina Leadership Initiative of Greater Des Moines, an innovative leadership development program for young Latinas, ages 20-30.

Alicia served on the Iowa Civil Rights Commission from 1999-2011, including five years as Chairperson. Her professional life was as an educator, housing and health planner, and administrative services manager for Polk County Social Services. She has actively served on numerous community boards and commissions in her children’s schools, church, political and civic organizations for 35 years.

Alicia was honored with the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Faith and Freedom Award in 2006, recognized as a Woman of Influence by the Des Moines Business Record in 2007, received the Distinguished Service Award, also in 2007, from her alma mater, Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL, and honored as a Woman of Achievement by the YWCA and Bankers Trust in 2009.