MRT receives the 2025 Don Hampton Service Award

Habitat for Humanity of Iowa AmeriCorps Mobile Response Team (MRT) has just been awarded the 2025 Don Hampton Service Award! This exciting honor was presented at the IDHRC Disaster Conference, an annual event that brings together those dedicated to stepping up when disaster strikes. The conference is a vibrant gathering of faith-based and community organizations, long-term recovery committee members, and individuals committed to disaster case management, emotional and spiritual support, as well as a host of other activities aimed at assisting families, emergency management personnel, and state and federal partners.

Every year, the IDHRC shines a spotlight on exceptional Iowans who have answered the call in times of disaster with the Don Hampton Service Award. Don Hampton, a founding member of the IDHRC, was a passionate volunteer who helped countless families recover from disasters and was a true champion for the disaster response and recovery community. This award honors those who aspire to be champions in times of crisis. The MRT was nominated and celebrated for their incredible dedication to the Spencer Flooding efforts from July to September 2024.

Over two months, the MRT tirelessly mucked and gutted more than 50 homes in Spencer and the surrounding counties. They braved long days and led local volunteers through the sweltering Iowa summers in Tyvek suits. The team, led by Disaster Leader Les Gunderson, included up to five full-time AmeriCorps members who collectively contributed an impressive 1,525 hours to this Northwest Iowa deployment. They also engaged the community by leading local volunteers on disaster sites and helping to establish the volunteer reception center in Spencer, Iowa. This effort was part of the much larger AmeriCorps Disaster Response presence in the area.

Learn more about the impact of the NW Iowa flooding here.

• Northwest Iowans reflect on a year of recovery efforts after devastating floods hit in June 2024 | Iowa Public Radio

• A lookback on the flood of 2024 | Hawarden Independent/Ireton Examiner | nwestiowa.com  

• 1 year later: Looking back at impact of June 2024 Siouxland severe flooding & what remains with recovery

Members of the Mobile Response Team accepting the Don Hampton Award.

Group photo of MRT in Spencer after a long day of work.

Members coming out of a house that they were just mucking and gutting in Spencer Iowa

4 members standing next to the Habitat truck after a hard days work of mucking and gutting.

AmeriCorps member spraying mold remediation in a house freshly mucked and gutted.

AmeriCorps member clearing out debris with home owners in a flooded house.

AmeriCorps Members know they look very cool in their full mold protection.