DES MOINES – Monday morning the YMCA is hosting its 12th Annual MLK Jr Prayer Breakfast at the Olmsted Center at Drake University. The theme of the breakfast this year is “Everyone Deserves a Place to Call Home” and focuses on housing.

The keynote address during the breakfast was a panel hosted by Deidre DeJear, President and CEO of Oakridge Neighborhood, and features community members and local experts on housing issues in Des Moines.

Cameron Nicholson, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, said that the prayer breakfast is a chance to honor Dr. King’s legacy by bringing the community together for positive change.

“I think that’s the beauty of Des Moines in our community is people do come together. We sit at the table and we try to problem solve versus point the finger at who’s causing the problem. But how can we collectively come together to solve the problem? As I said, when the government comes together with nonprofits as well as service providers, we may not always have all the resources we may need to solve the issue. But I think we try to marshal the resources available to us to come with the best solutions possible,” Nicholson said.

The YMCA is also presenting its 2025 Make A Difference Awards to two individuals and an organization demonstrating commitment to housing justice and building a stronger, more inclusive community.

The aware recipients are:

• Make A Difference Award: Individual – Caroline Gathright, Community Investment Analyst, City of Des Moines
• Make A Difference Award: Organization – Polk County Housing Trust Fund
• Make A Difference Award: Legacy – Ako Abdul-Samad, member of the Iowa House of Representatives, founder and CEO of Creative Visions Human Development Institute.

To learn more about the prayer breakfast visit the YMCA’s website