Congratulations to the Awardees—Habitat Friends Night 2025

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in Habitat Friends Night last week! Our team eagerly anticipates this annual gathering each year, as it allows us to connect with many of our wonderful volunteers, donors, and homeowners. We truly hope this event reflects our deep appreciation for each of you.
​
We had the pleasure of honoring several supporters for their exceptional commitment and service to the Habitat for Humanity mission. A big congratulations and thank you to our award recipients for 2025!

---

The Kazi Alward Award honors Kazi Alward's long-time support, recognizing individuals for their exceptional service, compassion, and commitment. Throughout her years of service, Nancy Steyers has brought her real estate knowledge to our organization, devoting her time to helping families find safe and stable homes. Her commitment to the Women Build Committee has been unwavering, and her leadership as an IVHFH board member for six years has had a lasting impact on the organization and the community. Nancy’s passion for service is evident in everything she does, and her compassion and tireless efforts have helped shape a better future for so many.

---

The Hammer of Hope Award was established to honor someone who brings hope to our small organization through their ongoing support. Isaac exemplifies this spirit by volunteering every Saturday at our build sites. He also takes the time to promote our organization on his personal social media, organizes his own fundraising efforts for our team, and leverages his connections in contracting to secure essential materials. His heartfelt passion for Habitat made it an easy choice to present him with this award.

---

Congratulations to U.S. Bank for receiving the Team of the Year Award. This award recognizes the group for their outstanding and ongoing service to Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity. The company’s mission to support and engage with our communities goes beyond words—it's embedded in everything they do. Our local U.S. Bank teams actively demonstrate this commitment through volunteer service, financial contributions, and other meaningful actions that make a difference.  

---

The Tom Glau Award honors Tom Glau, a dedicated volunteer who has been with the Iowa City ReStore for many years. This award recognizes individuals for their exceptional commitment and service as ReStore volunteers. This year, it was awarded to Larry Roehl, who has been a consistent volunteer since 2022. Larry is someone the ReStore staff can count on to drive the needs of our mission. He volunteers in the store multiple times each week, but that’s not all— to meet our sustainability initiatives, he often repairs items in his home, which not only increases their value but also diverts them from the landfill.

---

The Partner of the Year Award was proudly presented to the Professional Women in Building of The Greater Iowa City Area Home Builders Association. This remarkable group has significantly influenced both our organization and the local communities. They facilitate networking within the trades sector, supporting the efforts of our small non-profit. Their dedication shines through as they actively participate on our build sites, attend events, and contribute to the community. Additionally, seeing such an amazing group of women involved in our Women Build program is truly inspiring.

---

The 2025 William "d'Grouch" Laubengayer Award was awarded to Mikel Betts. This honor is named after William "d'Grouch" Laubengayer, who dedicated numerous hours to building 106 Habitat homes. The award recognizes individuals who show exceptional commitment and service to Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity. Mikel has devoted more than 1,000 hours at the construction site, consistently offering his expertise week after week for many years. His love for woodworking and tenacity to figure things out is invaluable to our construction team.