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Spring Breakers Help Build Homes With Habitat for Humanity
“It’s a spring break thing,” a group of college students laughed, looking down from the roof of a Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio (HFHSA) home under construction in San Antonio on Wednesday.
The students were among a group of 10 from the University of Texas at San Antonio who are taking an “Alternative Spring Break.”
“We do different projects throughout spring break,” said group member Sabrina Macal, a junior political science major, who is also pursuing a certification in non-profit management.
She stood chatting about the home being built with another student in her group. In the background, the easy-going laughter of nearby high school and college students alike could be heard above the sounds of hammers, power tools and the traditional “noise” of a construction site.
Macal explained the group is part of collaboration with UTSA Voices, a service organization, and the Inclusion and Communication Engagement Center. The group includes students from several different campus organizations.
“What’s good about it is people from different organizations come together for spring break,” she said.
“I like just being able to get out and help the community,” Yaleen Christensen, a junior elementary education major chimed in.
While the UTSA students spent one day with HFHSA, and other days this week with various organizations, other groups will spend their entire spring break with HFHSA. One such group, the Mission Road Church of Christ traveled from Edmond, OK for the second year in a row to build houses with HFHSA. Approximately 45 students and sponsors are part of the 2011 volunteer group and were spending their third day on the construction site Wednesday. While some consider giving up the traditional “beach” spring break to volunteer a sacrifice, this group agrees it’s worth it.
“It was a pretty easy decision for me to make,” said Sharon Sikes as she watched members of her group dig holes for fence posts.
“It’s a good experience to get out of our comfort zone … it’s nice to make a difference,” one of the church group’s sponsors, Matt Johns continued.
Other members of his group have a very light-hearted view of the week.
“I’m still getting sun,” laughed Mary Diggs, as she worked with another member of her group, Zeth McNeal. “It’s different than other trips I took in college, but it’s fun.”
“It’s glorious to make a difference,” McNeal added.
Nearby Jessica Shipman, a college freshman, said “I think it’s a good experience to give back.”
The UTSA students and the Mission Road group are among several spring break groups working with HFHSA this week and in the coming week, said Sarah Arredondo, HFHSA volunteer coordinator.
“Spring break is always super for us. It gives us weekday volunteers that we don’t normally have. They help us in all stages of the construction of our homes and often help us catch up on tasks that we don’t get finished on the weekends,” Arredondo said. “Right now, they are particularly helpful as we are getting ready for another house dedication on March 26. We think it is awesome that so many students are willing to give of their time in this way.”
HFHSA will hold its second house dedication of 2011 at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 26. Twelve families will join with volunteers and sponsors in the Palo Alto community to celebrate the completion of their homes. 2011’s goal is 55 homes, Arredondo said, noting that volunteer construction crews make completion of the Habitat homes possible.
“Without volunteers, we could not do it,” she said.
The dedication event is open to the public. For directions, visit HFHSA’s website at:
http://www.habitatsa.org/volunteer/importantInformation.aspx
About Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio
Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio is an ecumenical, Christian organization working with hardworking families in need to build simple, decent and affordable homes without interest or profit. Habitat families are required to put in a minimum of 300 hours of “sweat equity,” meaning they help build their own home, the homes of their neighbors and they attend home ownership education classes. In turn, they purchase their homes on a 0% interest, 20-year mortgage. Their payments average about $400 a month, or about half the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city. Relying on volunteer labor and donated funds to build homes, HFHSA serves families who earn 20-60% of the area median income and is the only organization in San Antonio to offer homeownership as an option to families at this income level.