Frank Haaland and Joe Wolfe, Bremer County SHIIP/SMP counselors with Waverly Health Center, received a Governor’s Volunteer Award. Gov. Kim Reynolds presented the 2026 Governor’s Volunteer Awards during a ceremony Tuesday, July 14.
Both Haaland and Wolfe were honored with a five-year service award by Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). Since 2021, Haaland and Wolfe have completed more than 1,050 appointments combined and have spent more than 1,000 combined hours providing guidance to individuals, families and caregivers on how to navigate Medicare and identify plans and resources that work for them.
“Iowans take great pride in their deep and rich commitment to serving others—it’s in our DNA,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Iowa nice is the foundation of our state—you see it everywhere you turn—Iowans volunteering their time to help others and improve their communities and our state. It truly is an honor to be able to recognize these individuals for their meaningful acts of generosity through the Governor’s Volunteer Awards and inspire others to do the same.”
Kristin Griffith, SHIIP-SMP director, said, “SHIIP-SMP counselors are some of the best volunteers and people you could ever work with. They care deeply about their community members and consistently go above and beyond to provide unbiased and trustworthy information to help individuals and their families navigate the complexities of Medicare.”
Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, the Governor’s Volunteer Award program provides an easy way for Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations and government entities to honor their volunteers with a prestigious, state-level award. A complete list of award recipients and an electronic copy of this news release are available at VolunteerIowa.org.
