Communitas  is a Latin word for people helping people for the benefit of their  community.

The  Communitas Award program is an international effort to recognize exceptional  businesses, organizations and individuals that are unselfishly giving of  themselves and their resources.  Jerry

and Kathy Weiner and their Tolerance  Week efforts clearly exhibit the spirit of communitas.  We are pleased to  announce that Jerry and Kathy Weiner were presented with an International  Communitas Award for Tolerance Week Wednesday by Governor Terry Branstad at the  Sioux City Orpheum Theatre.

Wednesday  also marked the first Tolerance Week Courage Awards. The Tolerance Week Courage  to Teach Award went to Linda McQueen, who has brought her students to the

Tolerance Week movie event every year, traveling for an hour and forty five  minutes each way from Dunlap, Iowa.

Fiona  Valentine with the Lifelong Learning Institute at Western Iowa Tech was awarded  the Tolerance Week Courage to Partner award, for being the ultimate Tolerance  Week partner, coming through each year, sometimes on very short  notice.

The  first Tolerance Week Courage to Enlighten Award was presented to Mr. Philip  Gans for continuing to travel to Siouxland every year to speak to thousands of  area students about his Auschwitz camp experiences.

Christine  McAvoy was awarded the first Tolerance Week Courage to Advocate Award for  helping to find emergency housing for an African family of ten.