What an amazing group of students! We were blessed to host a group as well: PITTSBURGH, PA, (March 6, 2014) – Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh will host a group of student volunteers from Rhode Island next week as part of the national Collegiate Challenge program. The Collegiate Challenge is an alternative break program in which students devote a week of their spring or summer breaks to travel to a Habitat affiliate and leave a lasting impact in the community. For the past 24 years, more than 194,000 students have spent their school breaks volunteering across the country through this program. The Pittsburgh affiliate was host to a group from Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University in 2010 and one from Boston College in 2011. This year they are excited to welcome a group of 20 students from Providence College in Rhode Island for the week of March 9 - 14. The students will spend the week helping to rehabilitate two Habitat homes, where they will hang drywall, lay laminate flooring, and paint walls. One of the homes, located in Sharpsburg, will soon belong the Ndikumuna family. After contributing their required 350 hours of volunteer sweat equity work with Habitat, this family is thrilled to have a home to call their own. Originally from Burundi, the father and mother were displaced by Civil War in 1972, forcing them into a refugee camp in Tanzania where their five children were born. The Ndikumunas moved to the U.S. in 2008. Although both parents work, language and cultural barriers limit their access to living-wage jobs, making it a challenge to provide for their family. By partnering with Habitat, the family hopes to fulfill their dream of owning a home that can be passed down to their children and the generations to come. Community businesses and organizations have joined together to make the group’s stay in Pittsburgh enjoyable. Donations of food from Fox’s Pizza in West Mifflin, Holy Trinity Baptist Church, and the Pittsburgh Pizza Grill in Sharpsburg will fuel the volunteers’ efforts throughout the week. A partnership with the Salvation Army of Braddock will provide lodging for the students during their stay, and the Carnegie Library of Braddock has lent their facilities so the students can clean up after a day of hard work. For more info, visit pittsburghhabitat.org or write [email protected]. # # #.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 14:23:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015