⚽ The Menace Are Back — and Teaming Up With DMPS

The Des Moines Menace announced a new partnership with Des Moines Public Schools for the 2026 season, featuring a special DMPS Night on May 30, free youth soccer clinics, and a season-long student-athlete recognition program presented by Bank of America. DMPS students and staff can also claim complimentary tickets for the May 30 match at Mediacom Stadium.

🐶 Meet Griff III — Drake’s New Live Mascot

Drake University officially introduced Griff III during a heartwarming “Changing of the Harness” ceremony on Friday. The 9-month-old English bulldog takes over mascot duties from the beloved Griff II, who is retiring after six years of appearances at games, events, and campus traditions. Welcome to Des Moines, Griff III! 🐶
🔗 More info:

🌱 Des Moines Botanical Garden Launches “Dome Grown” Plant Collection

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden just introduced its first-ever “Dome Grown Collection,” featuring plants grown right on-site. The new collection debuted during the popular Spring Garden Market and gives visitors a chance to bring home locally grown herbs, vegetables, and native plants while supporting the garden’s mission. 🌿

🌅 The Morning Launch Routine: A calm, consistent morning routine does more for your student's focus and retention than any study hack. Try: water first, breakfast before screens, and backpack ready the night before. Five minutes of prep at night saves twenty minutes of chaos every morning.

✍️ Handwriting Over Typing for Key Notes: Research consistently shows students retain information better when they write notes by hand versus typing them. For important chapters or concepts, have your student jot key points in a notebook — even just a sentence or two per topic.

📖 The Sunday Preview Habit: Every Sunday evening, have your student spend just five minutes scanning the upcoming week's subjects — not studying, just previewing. It primes the brain to recognize information when it shows up in class, dramatically improving comprehension.

🤝 Study Buddy System: Pair your student with one trusted classmate for a weekly 20-minute check-in — not to do homework together, but to compare notes and fill gaps. Teaching each other what they learned is the single fastest way to lock in knowledge before a test.

Need more than homework help? Camp Homework is here to support confidence, focus, and stronger learning habits every step of the way.

Need more than just last-minute study tips? Camp Homework offers affordable K–12 tutoring with real human tutors — not AI — starting at $150/month. camphomework.com

I'll be upfront with you — this week's spotlight is a little personal.

One of the businesses I run is called Camp Homework, and I wanted to introduce it to you the same way I'd introduce any business I believe in: by just telling you the story of how it came to be and what it actually does for families.

It started after the pandemic, when it became clear that a lot of students had fallen behind in school but couldn't afford the help they needed. Tutoring in Des Moines runs $60 to $80 an hour. For a family that needs consistent, weekly support, that adds up fast. I had spent a lot of time in the Philippines over the years, and I knew there was incredible teaching talent there — college graduates, many working on advanced degrees — who could offer something exceptional to students here at a fraction of the cost. That's how Camp Homework was born.

Every student gets matched with a dedicated one-on-one tutor — someone who gets to know them, builds a real relationship, and is genuinely excited to celebrate every step forward. We've helped hundreds of students go from struggling to confident, and a few of those stories are in the full article this week.

With summer just around the corner, we also just launched something free for parents — a tip-filled email course called Prevent Summer Slide, over at preventsummerslide.com. Students lose a lot of ground over the summer, and this gives parents a simple, week-by-week plan full of practical tips to help prevent that. Worth a look if you've got a K–12 child at home.

And one more thing — we're giving away a free $149/month Camp Homework membership for June as part of our Summer Enrichment Program. Des Moines Digest readers can enter at camphomework.com/dsmdigest.

If you're connected with a PTA or PTO, there's something in this week's article for you too. Camp Homework is looking to partner with just two or three more schools before summer starts — schools earn a fundraising contribution every month an enrolled student stays active. Spots are limited, and the details are at k12schoolfundraising.com.

And if your organization runs a silent auction or charity event, Camp Homework donates gift certificates through DonationMatch. You can find us and request a donation at donationmatch.com.

The full story — including what I saw in the Philippines that shaped all of this — is in this week's issue.

→ Read the full story here.

Kevin Williamson keeps a stash of warm socks in the back of his truck.

Hand warmers too. Hats, gloves, the kind of small dignified things you'd want if you were sleeping outside in February. He stopped giving out cash on corners about thirty years ago, around the same time he stopped drinking, and he's never gone back to either.

Kevin grew up in Des Moines and graduated from Hoover High in 1981. He watched both his parents struggle with alcoholism. He'll be thirty years sober this August. And during the early days of COVID, sitting at home wondering how to be useful, he started a Facebook group from his couch.

Today that group has nearly 26,000 members. It's called Des Moines, How Can We Help You? — and on any given week, you can watch neighbors talk strangers through dead batteries, empty propane tanks, lost jobs, and worse. The rules are strict. The admins are tireless. And the whole thing runs on something Kevin learned three decades ago in a treatment center, from a teacher most Iowans have never heard of.

He'll tell you the page wasn't even his idea. He says he kept getting the message and tried to ignore it.

He'll also tell you about his son Brandon, the open-heart surgery at three months old, and the line his late father taught him about dignity that Kevin still lives by every day.

Click here for the whole story →

🤝 Be part of our community spotlight!
Share your story and inspire others → Apply Now

Capital City Pride kicks off its 2026 season with this engaging speaker series at the Temple Theater. A great evening of community, conversation, and connection right here in downtown Des Moines. Free and open to the public — a wonderful way to spend a Thursday night in the city.

If you've never caught the Des Moines Big Band in residence at Noce, this Tuesday is your week to fix that. One of the city's most beloved jazz institutions, playing one of the most intimate and beloved venues in the 515. Show up early, grab a drink, and let the music take over your Tuesday evening. This is what makes Des Moines great.

We want to hear from you! Des Moines Digest exists to help locals find the best things to do, see, and explore across the metro — but we can only make it better with your input. Tell us what sections you love, what you skip, and what you wish we covered more. Whether it's a hidden gem, an event type, or just a quick "keep doing this" — we're all ears. Your feedback shapes every issue, so hit reply or click below and let us know. This digest is for you, Des Moines! 💬
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Thanks for starting the week with us, Des Moines. See you Thursday! 🌱

— Alex | Des Moines Digest 📘
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