Lyn Stinson

Lyn Stinson was born in Opelika, Alabama, but has made her adoptive home of Burlington, Iowa, a better place.

During her tenure at Community Action of Southeast Iowa, Stinson developed a community food program, which helped families learn to plant gardens to supplement their food budget, and set up a summer meal program for low-income children. She also founded the Women in Waiting program, a support group for women whose loved one is confined to Fort Madison prison. Stinson has been a leader and member of several state and community boards, including Civil Service Commission, Iowa Workforce Development Commission, NAACP, and the African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa. Stinson was the only volunteer connecting with Job Corps graduates upon their return to the community. For this, she was named Volunteer of the Year in 2000 by the JACS Region VII, prompting Burlington's mayor to declare June 14, 2000, as "Lyn Stinson Day."

Stinson was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 2009.