Human Relations Commission Names Humanitarian Award Recipients

The Ames Human Relations Commission selected Anneke Mundel and the COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Story County Immigrants to each receive its 2022 Humanitarian Award. The award recognizes and honors a worthy individual or program whose contributions to the Ames community demonstrate extraordinary quality, especially in efforts to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity. Jahmai Fisher, chair of the Human Relations Commission, presented the awards at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration held Monday, Jan. 17.

Anneke Mundel has been promoting understanding between people throughout her career, having worked alongside Native Americans on several Paiute-Shoshone reservations prior to coming to Iowa, and as an educator at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) working to recruit and retain a diverse student body.

Mundel joined the team at United Way of Story County in 2019. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she understood the impact it would have on marginalized populations and worked with the faith-based community to form the Story County Immigrant Coalition. As of November 2021, $160,000 in donations had been secured to help more than 200 families with rent and utility assistance and internet access.

In addition to her work with the coalition, Mundel serves on the Equity Committee at United Way and served on the Ames Human Relations Commission from 2017-2018.

The Covid Emergency Fund for Story County Immigrants was organized soon after the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact county residents who were ineligible for government support programs, many of whom had lost their employment or worked in low wage jobs most impacted by the disease.

A group of eight organizers, all volunteers, worked with faith organizations, foundations, and individuals to solicit funds and develop an application process for distributing these funds. United Way of Story County provided advice and assistance, and St. Cecilia Parish served as the nonprofit home for the fund. The protocol developed to distribute funds focused on rent and utility assistance, and bilingual volunteers were recruited to work directly with applicants to assess their needs.

All donated funds were dispersed to applicants; none of the donated funds were used for any organizing expenses. As of November 2021, assistance had been provided to 125 individual households. Because many of the families had been able to return to work and no longer needed financial assistance, the committee ended the fund on Dec. 31, 2021.