The University’s Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter is a student-run organization working with the City of Champaign to annually build a home for a family in need in the local area. This year, they will construct their 20th student-sponsored house.
“Habitat gives me an outlet to volunteer and help in the community, and you can see the direct impact while you’re doing it,” said Jillian Fanning, Habitat’s newsletter chair and junior in AHS. “You meet the family, and you get to see everything from the base being built to the walls going up.”
Throughout the year, Habitat practices the organization’s mission: “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope,” while also raising funds and participating in various events.
Regarding the construction of the student-sponsored home, the members of Habitat work hands-on. The students are responsible for building the majority of the house, using new skills, construction tools and a lot of teamwork.
This school year’s first build took place on Saturday, Sept. 21, when 27 students went to the site and started on the home’s foundation, putting up the first walls.
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Weekly, the organization sends out sign-up sheets where 30 spots are typically open for students to sign up to volunteer for construction work on Saturdays for an 8-9 hour shift.
Three or four construction workers from Champaign County’s Habitat for Humanity assist the students and handle some of the more advanced construction during the builds to ensure the safety of the student volunteers and the stability of the home.
Members of the family who will receive the house also come to help with the build to put in their “sweat equity hours,” meaning the hours of work that the future owners must put into constructing the home since they receive their home from a no-interest loan.
During the typical fall semester, before the weather changes, the students aim to finish the foundation, walls, roof and necessary basis of the home. Winter and early spring focus on the home’s interior.
The idea of utilizing volunteer labor to aid community members struggling financially or struggling to purchase a home did not begin at the University, as Habitat for Humanity is an international organization.
The international organization began based on an idea in Americus, Georgia, from biblical scholar Clarence Jordan, with the aid and fundraising from Millard and Linda Fuller, Habitat’s true accredited founders.
Jordan and the Fuller couple came up with an idea of partnership housing where they would build houses for those in need after receiving money from fundraising.
As the idea developed, the Fullers took their concept to Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eventually, they returned to the United States, raised awareness, acquired volunteers and officially developed Habitat for Humanity in 1976.
Since the organizations founding at the end of the 20th century, it has helped community members beyond just building the home.
Another main component of Habitat is to have volunteers build the home and sell the partner families their completed home at a cost through a no-interest mortgage. The students must fundraise a large sum to ensure this will be achievable for the future homeowners.
During the 2023-24 school year, the organization raised $43,413.37 through different events such as their Spikin’ for Homes volleyball tournament on Oct. 5, and its annual Broomball tournament.
The organization also runs a concession stand at Memorial Stadium during football games, where all proceeds go to their student-sponsored home.
“If you ever go to a football game and you see a Habitat for Humanity sign, that’s us,” said Susan Lim, co-fundraising director of Habitat and graduate student studying integrative biology. “We’re working the stand, selling and cooking the food. It’s really one of the biggest ways we raise money.”
So far this year, the organization has raised $8,942.49 of its $25,000 end-of-the-year goal solely from the revenue of its concession stand at the past three home games.
Once their fundraising is complete, the organization receives a grant from State Farm at the end of the year, where the company has agreed to donate an amount that matches what the students had raised throughout the year.
“We have a ribbon cutting ceremony at the end of the year where we hand over the keys, and that’s typically when we hand over all of the money to Champaign County,” said Matt Beard, Habitat’s director of builds and junior in LAS. “It’s just a yearly fundraising cycle starting from when the last house is completed.”
Throughout the year-long construction project, the students also connect with local community and family members who will move into the home once it is complete.
“I never have felt such a deep connection with the local community than working with Habitat for Humanity because I am not just directly contributing, but I am actually working with them, and it’s just very nice to get to know them,” Beard said.
Habitat offers students a volunteering experience unlike others on campus, advocating for a more interpersonal relationship between students and the community.
“Since it’s a student-sponsored house, we are the ones actually handing over the keys to the owner,” Beard said. “Last year, I handed over the keys, and it was a really special experience to me, especially since we get to know them throughout the year.”
