Habitat for Humanity is an international, non-profit organization whose sole mission is to build homes for those who are in need of decent housing. Habitat gives people the opportunity to live in beautiful, homes that are located in safe neighborhoods and built to cater to their family. Many people are under the impression that the homes are simply handed out to people in need whether they are deserving or not. This is not the case.
Habitat for Humanity is a program that people have to apply to and be accepted into. Homeowners must put in a certain number of “sweat equity” hours into their own home as well as other Habitat homes which means that every legal adult that will be living in the home is required to work for a certain number of hours on Habitat homes. Habitat also establishes an affordable mortgage-payment plan for each homeowner.
Did you know that St. Ambrose University has a Habitat for Humanity club on campus that gives SAU students the opportunity to volunteer with this awesome organization?
There is! And this past week they worked hard to promote Habitat to the rest of the SAU student body. It is Habitat’s annual “Act Speak Build Week”, a week dedicated by Habitat for Humanity and all of its affliate chapters to get their volunteers involved and help spread the word about all of the things Habitat does.
Here is a breakdown of what happened this week on campus:
Monday and Tuesday: SAU Habitat club members set up a station in the Cosgrove cafeteria with a large jar of nails. Anyone and everyone could write a number down and throw a guess into the basket for the chance to win some awesome prizes. If you participated, the correct number of nails was 188! The lucky winners will be receiving a prize in their campus mailboxes next week.
Wednesday: SAU’s Habitat members sponsored a “Constructing Cupcakes” event in the Beehive from 8-10 p.m. For a donation of $1, anyone had the opportunity to “construct” a delicious cupcake and deck it out with an assortment of candies, sprinkles and frosting colors.
Thursday: Club members rocked their Habitat swag (aka their Habitat for Humanity t-shirts) around campus.
So what else does SAU’s Habitat do?
Well for starters, several of the club members went on Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge spring breaks trips to either Mobile, Alabama, or Kalispell, Montana. At both build sites, SAU volunteers worked with other college groups from across the country to spend a week building new homes. They have also spent the past school year on various Saturdays working on two homes at the Habitat build site in Moline, IL. Not only are these volunteers reaping the rewards of volunteering, but they are also learning new skills along the way. In the past year, SAU volunteers have learned how to lay flooring, install siding, hang drywall, use power tools, and so much more.
For more information about Habitat for Humanity, check out this awesome promotional video!