Student rebuilt UNC's Habitat

With more than 2,000 members, UNC Habitat for Humanity is one of the largest student organizations on campus — but it couldn’t have been done without Matt Williamson.

“The biggest thing for me was driving publicity and fund-raisers. … I really wanted to harness the energy of so many excited students,” said Williamson, who took the group’s reins in 1991.

“I used to joke with the director of the Campus Y — I told her that by the time I left campus, everyone would have heard of Habitat for Humanity.”

Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller to provide decent, affordable housing for people across the globe. According to the organization’s Web site, Habitat has either built or rehabilitated more than 175,000 homes for 750,000 people in more than 3,000 communities since its inception.

“The club was founded before I got to Carolina, but the general campus meetings consisted of about eight people — and two of them were the co-chairs,” Williamson said.

At the same time, Dr. Henry Clark, chapter adviser of Habitat, recruited Sigma Nu fraternity and Chi Omega sorority with Chapel of the Cross church to form the first UNC Habitat Partnership.

“I wanted young people to participate in an experience that involved giving rather than receiving,” Clark said.

As president of UNC Habitat, Williamson mostly was concerned with increasing the organization’s visibility on campus and also coordinated the first official UNC Habitat Spring Break trip.

“The first time we took a Spring Break trip for Habitat, we went to New Orleans and it coincided exactly with Mardi Gras,” Williamson said. “We built all day and partied all night.”

Today, the UNC Habitat Partnership makes annual trips overseas to Honduras and, most recently, Thailand.

“I encouraged (the Spring Break trip) because I saw it as a chance for students to get a valuable educational experience beyond what they could read in books,” Clark said.

“Some students have told me that this was the single most important experience of their college career.”

Williamson raised money for UNC Habitat his sophomore year by getting individuals to sponsor his run in the New York City Marathon — including former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalyn Carter, who sent a check for $26.20, one dollar per mile.

The next year, several members of the club joined Williamson in what would become an annual fund-raiser.

“We don’t really do the marathon anymore, but we do get substantial fund raising from the two annual golf tournaments,” Clark said. One is sponsored by the Kenan-Flagler Business School and the other by Chapel of the Cross.

Elizabeth Sessler, the group’s current co-chairwoman, echoed the need for consistent fund raising.

“We’re working on making Habitat more sustainable, not as dependent on volunteer contributions,” she said. “We’d like to continue to build two houses a year without falling into the trap of not raising enough money one year.”

The UNC Habitat Partnership now is constructing its 18th house, Clark said, but it offers more than simply construction.

Sessler also said an important part of Habitat is found beyond the work site.

“We don’t just build locally, we also build nationally and internationally, and we do tutoring, too. If you are interested in helping people, there’s a place for you at Habitat.”

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.