Earlier this week, the Washington Chamber of Commerce announced that Washington was declared the winner of the 2022 #IowansUnite Community Contest. An independent panel of judges matched up both Washington’s video and essay submissions against those of other surrounding towns and declared Washington, the winner. Washington will now partner with Iowa-based artist Ben Schuh to design a 1,500 sq. ft. mural that will adorn a building downtown or in a prominent shopping district.
The source of Washington’s involvement can be traced back to one passionate citizen, Isabella Santoro, the co-owner of the future North Side Diner. Santoro partnered with her uncle for the video submission, which received double the votes needed. Then the Chamber of Commerce selected her essay to represent Washington in the final round of judging. Santoro spoke with KCII about what initially kick-started this project and the process of making everything come together.
“It all started when I received an email from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs about the competition and immediately said my town deserves this. So, I partnered up with my uncle, who has always kind of been my partner in crime with these projects, and he made a one-minute video about Washington. The second round was to write an essay, and I’ve always enjoyed writing and thought that this is a great opportunity to talk about why I love this community so much.”
Even though Santoro had been the driving force behind Washington’s involvement in the contest, she was still flattered that her essay was chosen to represent Washington. “They said they were going to score the essays based on passion, authenticity, and creativity. I wasn’t so sure about the creativity part, but my essay was definitely from the heart. There were plenty of other great essays, and I was flattered when mine was chosen.”
A link to Santoro’s winning essay is available below.