Habitat Prepares for Collegiate Challenge
More than 10,000 high school and college students across the nation will celebrate spring break this year by doing something constructive – literally. Between Feb. 13 and April 16, students will flock to some 237 locations across the States to work with Habitat for Humanities (HfH) volunteers to build decent, affordable houses, for hundreds of families.
According to a Feb. 8 statement by HfH, this year’s most popular destinations for Collegiate Challenge volunteers are Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina; these volunteers will also contribute $1 million to help build Habitat homes.
“Students who participate in Collegiate Challenge are excited to travel to new places, gain new skills and make new friends while helping build a Habitat for Humanity home,” said Alynn Woodson, Collegiate Challenge manager at Habitat for Humanity International. “In exchange for their building efforts, students learn firsthand about poverty housing issues and about how they can make a meaningful difference today, as well as in the future.”
Students will also participate in a “blitz build,” where volunteers put up the framing, siding and roofing on a Habitat home in just one week.
“Students are very eager to work, fun to be around and excited about what their doing,” said Mike Cobb, the Columbus Area executive director.
Collegiate Challenge is Habitat for Humanity's year-round alternative break program, where groups of students from youth groups, high schools and colleges spend a week of their school break building a house in partnership with a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the United States. Students also raise money to contribute toward house construction. To date, the Collegiate Challenge program has raised nearly $10 million for Habitat affiliates.
Habitat for Humanity International, based in Americus, Ga., is an ecumenical Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. By the end of 2005, Habitat will have built its 200,000th house and more than one million people will be living in Habitat homes they helped build and are buying through no-profit, zero-interest mortgages. www.habitat.org.
