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Recently I had the opportunity to emcee the Heartland Family Services dinner in Council Bluffs.  It's timed with the start of National Family Week and four families from the Council Bluffs area were honored.  The event serves as a "behind the scenes" snapshot of what's going on in our community, all positive.

The award for community service went to Sue Jungman and her family.  Sue adopted a child from Guatemala and another from an orphanage in Korea.  Her youngest is a biological child, and over the years Sue taught her children the value of serving others.  The entire family is active in missions, volunteering, and helping others in the community.

David and Jody Edwards were honored with the Commitment to Family Award.  They were high school sweethearts and raised five children.  Seven grandchildren are now in the family and it's a joint effort in running the family car business.  They've faced difficulties and experienced great joy, all together as family.

The Challenged and Successful Family award went to the Steve and Stacy Schultz family.  Both thank their parents for instilling the deep sense of family that they enjoy now with their two children.  Young Sam was born prematurely and the complications resulted in deafness in both ears.  Through the unexpected development the family became stronger and closer.  Their daughter Shelby learned sign language along with her parents so they are able to communicate well.

And the Leadership award went to the Steve and Matt O'Neill Families.  The two brothers have been active in the Council Bluffs community following the example of their father.  There are seven children in the two families and together they spend a great deal of time together.  Both Steve and Matt serve on various boards in Council Bluffs.

It was great to hear comments from all the award winning families as they accepted their awards and it underscores again the strength of our community: strong families.

Knicely Done!