Students to Build Shed For Cause

But for members of UNC's campus affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, houses are built with blood, sweat and tears and become homes when they help a deserving family live in them.

From today through Wednesday, Habitat for Humanity will celebrate Habifest 2002, a worldwide celebration of poverty awareness. Events will take place each day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m in the Pit.

The main event of the celebration is the "Pit Build," in which a shed will be built in a showcase area between the Student Union and Student Stores.

Senior Scott McDonald, co-chairman of the UNC chapter of Habitat, said the shed will be a way to show how the group operates. "The shed will be built, in smaller scale, the same way as we build our other houses and will use the same materials," he said.

McDonald said the three-day celebration will include 30 dedicated members of Habitat building the shed and manning several booths to express how Habitat benefits the community. Students also can help build the shed, he said.

"One of the main purposes of this event is to show that there are 3,000 substandard homes in Orange County, and we are celebrating our 100th house, so we are well on our way to eliminating substandard housing," he said.

McDonald said the shed will be presented to the Casteneda family of Chapel Hill when they move into a Habitat house in Efland on April 20.

UNC's Habitat organization works mainly in Efland, a town about 20 minutes northwest of Chapel Hill, but also operates in Pittsboro.

McDonald said from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Friday and from 7:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday, volunteers drawn from a pool of 300 to 500 members go to the towns and work. In Efland, the organization is busy at work on 44 houses on a 41-acre tract of land.

UNC's group is part of 688 affiliates worldwide and works in partnership with The Chapel of the Cross church, the Kenan-Flagler Business School, Episcopal Campus Ministries and other campus organizations that McDonald said provide them "an umbrella of finances."

"For this event we want to celebrate what had been accomplished and how we are being active not only in the community but around the world," he said.

Senior Katie Rankin, UNC Habitat for Humanity public relations manager, said she is excited to use the event as a way to promote the organization. "Our motto is everyone deserves a simple, decent place to live," she said. "Habitat helps build a community where people can thrive and have strong ties to a city."

Rankin, who started volunteering with Habitat freshman year, said she hopes Habifest 2002 will educate students about poverty and motivate others to volunteer.

"There is a poverty problem here," she said. "We want to spread enthusiasm about the program, make it a collegiate commitment and spread awareness of the poverty problem."

McDonald said he hopes Habifest 2002 will inform others about the true purpose of Habitat. "(Habitat) is a hand up and not a handout," he said.

"The families help build the houses and other family's houses, and everyone in cooperation gives a needy family the chance to own a house."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.