Sioux Center, Iowa — The City of Sioux Center has been recognized with an award for supporting National Guard and Reserve employees. The Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) honored the city with the 2024 Pro Patria Award and the Above and Beyond Award at the Iowa ESGR Annual Awards Dinner in April.
The City of Sioux Center has three employees currently serving in the National Guard:
- City Building & Code Official Joel Gonzalez, South Dakota Air National Guard
- Sioux Center Police Officer Tyler Kanaly, Iowa Army National Guard
- City HR and Safety Director Josh Mork, South Dakota Air National Guard
In addition, the City has employees whose loved ones are serving and have served, and former Guard members as well.
City Manager Scott Wynja and Utilities Manager Murray Hulstein accepted the award, along with Kanaly at the event in Des Moines.
“The City of Sioux Center was honored and humbled to receive this award. We as the city see this a small sacrifice as compared to those that serve, as well as their families,” Wynja said.
Mork applied for the city to be honored for its support for Guard and Reserve employees.
The Pro Patria Award is presented annually in Iowa to 3 employers who have demonstrated the greatest support to Guard and Reserve employees through their leadership and practices, including adopting personnel policies that make it easier for employees to participate in the National Guard and Reserve. This is the highest-level award that may be bestowed by an ESGR State Committee. The Above and Beyond Award is presented employers at the local level who have gone above and beyond the legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
(Courtesy fellow Community First Broadcasting station KSOU in Sioux Center)
