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AMES, Iowa – The Ames Human Relations Commission named Gale Gehling as the recipient of the 2026 Humanitarian Award. The award recognizes individuals whose contributions to the Ames community demonstrate extraordinary quality, especially in efforts to promote wellbeing and belonging in Ames. Annabella Marquez, chair of the Human Relations Commission, will present the award to Gehling at the annual Ames/Story County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration planned for Monday, Jan. 19 at Ames City Hall.
The Humanitarian Award nomination highlighted Gehling’s commitment to the Ames community. The nomination explained how Gehling’s impact spans from providing immediate financial assistance to individuals in crisis to orchestrating large-scale charitable drives. Gehling’s recent contributions to the Ames community include offering free notary services, delivering funds to neighbors in need, volunteering for Food at First, and playing the "Easter Bunny" at local assisted living facilities.
Gehling’s current priority is children’s literacy in Story County. In the last three years, she has collected more than 50,000 children’s books and distributed them to educators, families, children, and nonprofit organizations with a passion for getting books to young readers.
The nomination shared that, “Gale has always treated everyone equally. She works tirelessly to provide for anyone she encounters in the community. Her personal motto is ‘Give where you live,’ and she certainly does that on a daily basis.”
Also announced are the 2026 MLK Essay Contest winners.
- Ada McKilligan, a freshman at Gilbert High School, received first place and will be awarded $500 for the essay titled, "A Generation of Hope.”
- Glory Nlebedim, a junior at Ames High School, received second place and will be awarded $300 for the essay titled, “Keep Moving Forward: Turning Struggle into Purpose."
The Ames/Story County MLK Celebration will be a celebration beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, at Ames City Auditorium, 520 Sixth St. (north side of City Hall). Birthday cookies will be served at 6 p.m. The MLK program will also be available virtually on Facebook Live or live on YouTube.
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