Leaders in the Ames community will gather this Friday to hold the 2023 State of the Community address.

Community members are invited to attend to find out more about the progress of different projects and goals for the area. The event, sponsored by The League of Women Voters, KHOI Radio and United Way of Story County is set to host a panel of speakers. They plan to report the challenges, successes and collaborations between different county organizations.

Some of the event speakers include:

• Jonathan Wickert, provost of Iowa State University
• John Haila, mayor of the city of Ames
• Latifah Faisal, chair of the Story County Board of Supervisors
• Robert Denson of Des Moines Area Community College
• Julious Lawson, superintendent of the Ames Community School District
• Amber Deardorff, vice president of the Mary Greeley Medical Center

After the speakers give their respective reports, they will answer questions from community members.

Carolyn Klaus, president of the League of Women Voters, believes the event helps with community visibility and creates an environment of growth and connectedness.

“We have to be aware of what’s happening with each other,” Klaus said.

The League of Women Voters knows the event is loved by both community members and the organizations that attend.

“This is an event we look forward to every year,” Faisal wrote to the Daily. “It’s an opportunity for the county, the city, Iowa State University, DMACC and Mary Greeley Medical Center to highlight opportunities and challenges facing our respective organizations and units of government. It’s exciting because it’s also a chance to highlight the cooperation and collaboration that exist between all of us.”

The program will be held at CityChurch of Ames-Des Moines on 2400 Oakwood Rd. It starts at 11:45 a.m. with doors opening at 11 a.m.

For those that cannot attend in person, there will be a live stream posted on Facebook through both the League of Women Voters and Story County Facebook pages.