Joe B. Avery Community Spirit Award Presentation set for Oct. 20

The City of Arkansas City will host its annual Joe B. Avery Community Spirit Award presentation on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. 

The event will be held at the USD 470 Avery Learning Center, 2500 N. 15th St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the awards ceremony begins at 6 p.m. The recipient of this year’s award will be announced during the ceremony. 

Members of the Community Spirit Award Committee and the City Commission will participate in the presentation, followed by a social reception. Schmidt Jewelers will provide engraving for this year’s award. 

About the Joe B. Avery Community Spirit Award Joe B. Avery, a longtime member of the Arkansas City Human Relations Commission, passed away in 2008. In recognition of his service and commitment to the community, the Joe B. Avery Community Spirit Award was created in his honor, with Joe himself as the first recipient. 

Throughout his life, Joe worked to bring about meaningful change in Arkansas City, focusing on identifying and creating resources that improved residents’ quality of life. His legacy continues through the annual presentation of the Community Spirit Award, which honors those who embody his values and continue his work of building a stronger, more connected, and more compassionate community. 

The 2025 Community Spirit Award Committee members are:

• Tammy Lanman-Henderson, chair

• Kim Hager, vice chair

• Joanne Bierle, member

• Eric Burr, member

• Joni Spiser, member 

• Tiffany Parsons, secretary

• Shana Adkisson, publicity 

Past recipients include: • 2009: Joe B. Avery and Bruce Watson • 2010: Dr. Nick Rogers • 2011: Pastor James Watson Jr. • 2012: James Fry • 2013: Curtis Freeland • 2014: Delphia Jennings • 2015: Kerry Schnackenberg • 2016: Jim and Carol Owens • 2017: Carlla Pike, Kalin Taylor, and Rob Carroll’s Sandblasting & Painting • 2018: Christopher and Mitchell Gingher • 2019: Jill Hunter • 2020: Mike Evinger • 2021: Anita Judd-Jenkins and Foss Farrar • 2022: Rags Smith • 2023: Robin Henderson • 2024: Angels in the Attic; Tammy Lanman-Henderson