Every year as International Women’s Day approaches, the Democratic Activist Women’s Network recognizes women who have excelled in Iowa politics. This week DAWN’s List announced the 2012 award-winners who will be honored at a reception in Des Moines on March 4. Event details are after the jump, along with the list of honorees for the Women’s Appreciation Day Reception.

On International Women’s Day itself (March 8), the League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Des Moines, Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors, and the Iowa Oxfam Action Corps are hosting a potluck, speaker, and movie screening at the Thoreau Center, 3500 Kingman Blvd in Des Moines, from 5:00pm to 7:30pm.

This is an open thread. What’s on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers?

UPDATE: Over at the Essential Estrogen blog, Lynda Waddington reviewed what the four Republican women in the Iowa Senate have been doing this session.

Here’s some background on DAWN’s List:

The Iowa Democratic Activist Women’s Network (DAWN/DAWN’s List) was born after the 1992 election at a gathering in Boone, Iowa, organized by Julie Gammack. Political activist women including office holders, past candidates, and campaign workers gathered to share experiences and concerns about electing Democratic women in Iowa.

Two women attending the meeting–Barbara Boatwright, longtime Democratic activist, and Jo Ann Zimmerman, former Lt. Governor of Iowa–proposed the creation of a new political action group patterned after the national organization, EMILY’s List.

Believing that Early Money Is Like Yeast, EMILY”S List works to elect Democratic pro-choice women throughout the country. The Democratic Activist’s Network (DAWN/DAWN’s List) set as its goal the election of Democratic pro-choice women to public office in Iowa, with particular focus on the Iowa legislature.

Since 1993, DAWN has provided campaign training, mentoring, and support for hundreds of Iowa Democratic women. DAWN’s List is the only Iowa group dedicated solely to the support, recruitment, mentoring, and election of progressive women.

OUR MISSION:

1. Raise awareness, across the state, of the importance of gender equity in the Iowa legislature.

2. Establish a strong, state-wide grassroots network, supporting the election of Democratic pro-choice women to public office.

3. Publicly support currently elected pro-choice, Democratic women in the Iowa legislature and assist in their re-election campaigns.

The DAWN’s List 2012 Women’s Appreciation Day Reception is scheduled for March 4th at 1:00 pm at the Quality Inn & Suites: 929 3rd Street in downtown Des Moines. Tickets cost $20. You can RSVP to Natasha Newcomb online or by e-mail: event AT dawnslist.org.

The special guest speaker for this event is State Representative Ruth Ann Gaines. She won Iowa House district 65 in 2010, following Wayne Ford’s retirement.

The 2012 honorees are:

The State Elected Official Award is going to Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell. She represents Iowa House district 45 (Ames area) and is the ranking Democrat on the Iowa House Human Resources Committee. During 2011, Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa PAC recognized Wessel-Kroeschell as a “champion” for “working diligently to help stop attacks on women’s health care.” She was one of the most vocal opponents of legislation aimed at restricting abortion rights, including the 20-week abortion ban and a “personhood” bill.

The Local Elected Official Award is going to Polk County Treasurer Mary Maloney. She has served as treasurer in Iowa’s largest county since 1989. She was won awards for her professional work and is a past president of the Iowa State County Treasurers Association.

Drake Law School Professor Maura Strassberg is receiving the DAWN’s List Special Recognition Award.

The Barbara Boatwright Breaking Glass Award is going to Mary Campos. She is a legend.

Mary Campos was born in McAlester, Oklahoma and as child her family moved to Des Moines, Iowa. There she became an advocate for woman and children rights and helped to establish better relationships between people of diverse ethnic backgrounds.

During her career, Mary has served on numerous boards and councils, including the Community Housing Education Resources Board, Bidwell Riverside Community Center, Des Moines Human Rights Commission, Hispanic Education Resource Center, Council for International Understanding and several other governmental and community organizations. She is presently a Civil-Service Commissioner.

Along with her involvement in the community she was also the first co-chair of the Iowa Brown-Black Presidential Forum, the nation’s only Presidential forum that addresses the important issues that impact the Black and Hispanic communities in Iowa.

Additionally, Mary has served as the Hispanic representative to the Iowa Democratic Party in the 1983 and as the co-chair of the Polk County Democratic Convention in 1992.

In 1995, she was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.

Mary has worked many years registering the voters for the Iowa Democratic Party has worked on many campaigns. She also spends countless hours helping non-English speaking families who are relocating to Des Moines and Perry to become better informed about social and health issues and helping them to become United State citizens.

Cheryll Jones of Ottumwa is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner who has won other awards for her advocacy in the areas of children’s and rural health care.

Coni Samsel, a retired educator from Mason City, is receiving the Activist Award. In 2007, she was on the Iowa Education Leadership Council for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Finally, DAWN’s List is giving its Rising Star Award to Allie Panther. She also won a rising star award at last year’s Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame event. From her bio:

Allie Panther was a natural for the kind of grassroots campaign that the Obama team was putting together: enthusiastic, hard-working, smart and a self-starter.  She has been a leader in the University of Iowa Democrats, Hawkeyes for Obama, UI for Chet Culver, and the Johnson County Democrats.  She was the co-chair of the Johnson Co Roxanne Conlin campaign as a junior in college, and was a key player in the successful Johnson County Conlin campaign.