Tigges Receives Parks and Recreation Association Community Service Award
April 18, 2023 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jennifer Tigges, a volunteer on the City of Dubuque Parks and Recreation Commission since 2015, was recently awarded the Claude Ahrens Community Service Award by the Iowa Parks and Recreation Association (IPRA).
“Jennifer demonstrates extraordinary commitment to Dubuque on each of the committees, boards, and commissions she serves on, in addition to being a lifetime community advocate,” said City of Dubuque Leisure Services Manager Marie Ware. “As a member of the parks and recreation commission, she has been active in advocating, educating, and volunteering her time, passion, and energy far beyond the monthly meetings.”
Since 2005, Tigges has been involved with KIDS (Kids in Dubuque Skate), a group of youth and adult supporters which focused on building a new skate park for the community. Thanks in part to her tenacity, hard work, and leadership, the dream of a new skate park became a reality in 2019.
She is also an animal lover and actively participated in the Pet Friendly Community work group, representing the park and recreation commission. This process led to a Pet Friendly Community Assessment and a new city ordinance allowing pets in most parks in July 2020.
Recently, Tigges was elected president of the Friends of Mines of Spain after 20 years of service on the group’s board and an active volunteer at the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center located in the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area. She actively advocated and participated in a multi-year process that ended with the adoption of new 28E agreement between the State of Iowa, Dubuque County Conservation Board, the City of Dubuque, and the Friends of Mines of Spain, three government entities and a non-profit focused on providing what each does best in a new partnership to manage the center. Through the years she has been involved in the expansion of the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center and, most recently, the $2.2 million expansion of land and development known as the E.B. Lyons addition. Her work includes volunteering, education, fundraising, and more.
Tigges began her volunteer service to the City of Dubuque over 31 years ago and still serves on the Dubuque Cable TV Commission. She has also served on additional boards and committees and provided countless volunteer hours to community. Just some events and committees she has volunteered with include: DBQFest, Art on the River, Julien Dubuque Film Festival, Dubuque 365, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque Farmers Market, Toys for Tots, and the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
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