Terry Moehnke, an optometrist who is a Fort Dodge City Council member, was presented the Catalyst Award during the Alliance’s annual dinner at the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites. About 445 people attended.

Matt Johnson, who presented the award on behalf of the Alliance, said Moehnke is ”less about talking and more about action.”

”As a true Catalyst, he is known for being committed and dedicated and for inspiring those around him to serve their community,” Johnson said.

Moehnke described the Catalyst Award as ”really an honor.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Members of the sold-out audience, including Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell, listen during the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance’s annual dinner at the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites.

He joked that all the people who blocked his phone number because he asked them so many times to contribute to various efforts will now be his best friends.

”I try to help people that need help,” he said.

Moehnke said the 40 years that he has lived in Fort Dodge have been a ”trip.”

”I’m very thankful for my time in this community,” he said.

Moehnke started the Backpack Buddies program to ensure that local elementary school children have healthy food to eat over the weekends. He coordinates a team of volunteers that load the participating children’s backpacks with nutritious food on Fridays.

About 12 years ago, Moehnke, a Navy veteran, envisioned a special place to honor local veterans. He led the effort to create Veterans Memorial Park alongside Badger Lake, north of Fort Dodge.

The park includes dozens of memorial trees planted in honor of men and women who served in the armed forces. Each tree has a marker that identifies the veteran and their branch of service. There are a few sculptures and a memorial to all the Webster County residents who were killed in battles dating back to the Spanish-American War. An amphitheater in the park that faces the lake is now the site of Memorial Day observances.

He has served on the Fort Dodge City Council since 2014, representing Ward 1.

Over the years, Moehnke has served on the boards of the Humane Society of North Central Iowa, the American Red Cross, the Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Paula J. Baber Hospice Home.

He has set up Christmas lights at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park for the traditional holiday display called Lights at Kennedy.

Moehnke is a member of the Pleasant Valley Awareness Committee. He is known as an advocate for public art and Little Free Libraries.

And Moehnke has done some other community-minded things that haven’t been publicly revealed previously. For example, Ember, the Dalmatian that is the mascot of the Fort Dodge Fire Department, was donated by him.

And he purchased more than 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to share with volunteers working on various projects.

The Catalyst Award is the most recent accolade Moehnke has received. His previous honors include Fort Dodge Noon Lions Citizen of the Year, American Red Cross Heroes of the Heartland Community Impact Award, Friends of Webster County Honorary Lifetime Member, Character Counts Fort Dodge Pillar of Character Award, Fort Dodge Community Foundation Outstanding Community Volunteer, State of Iowa Governor’s Volunteer Award, Fort Dodge Veterans Council Veteran of the Year, Iowa Lions Foundation Warren Coleman Honorary Award, Fellow of the Academy Award from the American Academy of Optometry, Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, and Fort Dodge, district, regional and international Sertoma awards.