Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Alex Reside / Daily Vidette Senior Staff Children of the recipient family, Kobe, 7 years old, and Trinity, 3 years old, help Kurt and Sarina Peavler break the ground at the dedication ceremony on Saturday morning.

Media Credit: Alex Reside / Daily Vidette Senior Staff (From left) Nate Hunsche, a senior international business major, Yvonne Dils, a sophomore public relations major, and Dominic Fasula, a junior biology pre-med student, brave the weather to inform people of the Habitat for Humanity events.

Living in a closet-sized dorm room or a tiny apartment is hard, but try living in a cardboard box.

Try fitting every possession in a shopping cart and wheeling it everywhere. Try to imagine being homeless for a week.

The Habitat for Humanity chapter at ISU is working this week to get the word out about the program and issues involving homelessness and poverty.

Members of the chapter stood at a booth in the rain on Monday providing information on Habitat for Humanity to interested students during the national Act! Speak! Build! Week.

Habitat member and senior international business major, Nate Hunsche has been working on the ISU house all year. He encouraged all students to get involved with building homes in their communities.

"Getting involved with any organization, especially one that gives back to the community and empowers people throughout the world such as Habitat for Humanity does, is priceless. Regardless of age, status, race, background or place in life, volunteering your time to such a noble cause has intrinsic values that are immeasurable," Hunsche said.

The students who volunteer their time are members of the ISU Habitat for Humanity Chapter. This chapter is affiliated with the McLean County Habitat for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity International.

Due to student and community support, the ISU chapter is ranked second in the nation and the chapter is currently building their 13th consecutive house in 13 years.

The dedication to eradicating homelessness will be on display throughout the week.

On Wednesday, students are invited to come out to the Quad and practice their building skills on a supply shed that will hold tools at the worksite near Miller Park.

A sleep-out is planned for Wednesday night from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m.

Dominic Fasula, Habitat member and junior biology major, said the sleep-out will be a good opportunity to meet people, play games and learn about the issue of homelessness.

"We're just trying to send a message out about what living in poverty is about," he said.

Students can come and go anytime during the night and will be sleeping in refrigerator boxes to experience what it is like to be homeless for the night. Students are also advised to bring blankets, sleeping bags and pillows.

Hunsche said he expects anywhere from 10 to 100 participants.

"Really anyone can come out and experience it. Even if it is freezing, the group will be there," he said.

On Thursday, students will have the opportunity to write letters to local and state politicians, urging them to make positive changes toward the substandard housing problem in America.

The event will take place in Schroeder 242 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

On Friday, students will be finishing up the supply shed, adding the roof and painting if necessary.

Habitat for Humanity was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in Americus, Georgia in 1976. The program has over one thousand affiliates across the United States and in over 40 countries throughout the world.

The ultimate goal of Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate homelessness and poverty from all countries through the building of adequate, safe and basic housing for families.

The program works with the families and provides a 30 year no-interest mortgage on the homes that are built.

Currently, the program completes a house every 21 minutes somewhere in the world and works with volunteers and the homeowner to complete homes.

The McLean County chapter has built over 60 homes throughout the Bloomington-Normal area in 10 years.

Illinois State's chapter began construction on its first home in September 1995.

According to Hunsche, this year's house is ahead of schedule despite the cold winter weather the group faced.

Throughout the year, different student groups such as athletic teams and Greek associations have worked on the ISU chapter house and many other groups have worked to fundraise through trick-or-treating and Chipotle restaurant sales.

The chapter has also received donations from State Farm Insurance.

Act! Speak! Build! week will inform ISU students on the need for more volunteers.

"While the amount of support we have received and the money raised (nearly $50 thousand this year alone), has been phenomenal, we feel it necessary to bring ASBW here to ISU," Hunsche said.

He also said students notice the personal benefits from volunteering shortly after working on a house.

Students that participate share an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment because the results are immediately felt and seen as they can all say: "I made a difference in that family's life."

"As a member of Habitat for Humanity, it is my goal to share this joy with as many people as possible and include everyone in the improvement of society," Hunsche said.

More information on joining ISU's Habitat for Humanity chapter can be found at the chapter's official Web site at lilt.ilstu.edu/habitat/

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