Campus Echo StaffEveryone has dreams and aspirations. Some aspire to be firefighters saving citizens from burning buildings while others want to teach five-year-old students the alphabet as a kindergarten teacher.
However, if you ask a mother of three, who is forced to move her family from place to place, what her life-long dream is, the answer is simple — to buy her first home.
N.C. Central University’s Habitat for Humanity student chapter hosted a “Get to Know Habitat for Humanity” session and fundraising event last Wednesday at the Hubbard-Totton Auditorium.
They also held a $50 Visa gift card raffle for attendees who donated $1 at the session.
NCCU Habit for Humanity spoke about volunteer opportunities for students through supporting its latest project, building “House #6” for a Durham family.
According to “Indy Week,” more than 800 people in the Durham area are homeless, but what these statistics don’t include are the amount of homeless families living in this area.
Thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Durham, the numbers of homeless families are reducing.
Since partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Durham seven years ago, NCCU has completed a total of seven houses.
However, the city’s chapter has made an astonishing 850 homes over its thirty-one year span of operating.
Habitat for Humanity of Durham is a non-profit organization that specializes in constructing, building, and repairing homes in which they sell to low-income families with a 0% interest rate, making the mortgage payment $650 or less a month.
At the event, the organization’s president and executive director Blake Strayhorn spoke about the joy he sees in the families’ eyes when they are handed the keys to their first home.
“Typically it’s not that much fun going down to the lawyer’s office,” Strayhorn said. “But with the families there, they are going to close their house, and often times you see them with tears of joy due to their life-long dream of buying their first house.”
The NCCU Habitat for Humanity chapter and Habitat for Humanity of Durham are currently fundraising $50,000 for “House #6,” but that doesn’t include the $85,000 needed for materials to build the home.
They encourage NCCU students to volunteer to help building the home. The organization said no prior experience is required.
In fact, Strayhorn said that those who are overseeing the project actually prefer volunteers who have less experience.
“They like people that come onto the site and say, ’I don’t have any experience’ because those people tend to listen more,” he said. “It’s really fun, and brings people together.
Students who would like to volunteer can contact the NCCU Habitat for Humanity’s representative Antonio White, [email protected] or Jared Pone, [email protected].
Story by Chantel Johnson
