Wartburg College received the 2016 distinguished nonprofit award from the Waverly Chamber of Commerce.

The college was honored during a ceremony Friday, March 18, for its longstanding relationship with the city and chamber. In addition to hosting a Waverly Connected event and last year’s chamber award ceremony, the college played integral roles in the community’s RAGBRAI overnight stop and last summer’s Mumford & Sons’ Gentlemen of the Road festival.

“(The college) was an invaluable partner in the planning and execution stages of the (GOTR) event, along with the City of Waverly and the Waverly chamber,” said Jordan Shanks, who presented the college with the award. “The result of this unique (event) created an even tighter bond between all three organizations who hope to build on this for many years to come.”

In accepting the award, Wartburg vice president for marketing and communication Graham Garner acknowledged the importance of community partnerships in attracting and carrying out large-scale events.

“There is clearly no way any one of us could have made this happen if we didn’t work together,” he said.

Other honorees included Heidi Solheim, Waverly Health Center marketing director and 1993 Wartburg graduate, who won the chamber’s community service award. Solheim has served on the chamber’s executive committee, was promotions chair for the RAGBRAI stop and on the public safety committee for the Gentlemen of the Road stopover.