Des Moines Bahá’í Family School at Willkie House, 1980s

by Diane Findlay, submitted June 2023

For a few years in the late 1980s, Des Moines and central Iowa area Bahá’ís met alternate Sunday mornings at Willkie House for Bahá’í Family School. We started together with prayers and music, often led by Curtis & Cindy Mickunas, then broke into adult, youth, and children’s classes. The facility had several meeting rooms, a lobby, and a gym, all of which we used enthusiastically. The group sometimes included Hmong Bahá’í families from the immigrant neighborhood that Bill Brown worked with, giving English lessons and teaching the Faith. Terri Foster Ferrell (then Bennett) taught the toddlers, while Carol Carpp worked with the older kids; Becky Jensen helped. I led the youth group, and the adults took turns leading topical deepenings. Terri provided the photos below, which are from 1986.

Willkie House is a private, community-based organization located in downtown Des Moines, with a mission to “to develop character and esteem in young people through the promotion of academics, social skill building, health, and recreation.” It served, and still serves, some of the more diverse neighborhoods in the Des Moines area. It was a great facility for us; we also used it for occasional holy days and other special occasions.