News and Events
Habitat for Humanity
March 14-18, 2011
Twenty-eight members of the Washington College community spent their spring break week building a house in Columbus, GA, as part of Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge Program. This was the College program's 12th alternative Spring Break trip, and 25 students (roughly 2% of the student body), one staff member, one faculty member, and one alumnus made the journey, as the largest Collegiate Challenge team fielded by Washington College yet.
During the Week of March 14-18, the volunteers partnered with NeighborWorks of Columbus and Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity to erect a home at 2055 Cusseta Drive for future owners, David and Tomeka Grayer. They worked through the sun and rain, and slept on the gym floor of St. Mark's United Methodist Church, which has hosted Washington College for four years running. In their off hours, the merchants of Columbus provided free movie passes, free ice cream, and free hockey tickets to all Collegiate Challenge participants. The group completed their work of "drying-in" the Grayers' home with a deep dedication to community service and a sense of commitment to the group, the Grayer family, and the surrounding neighborhood.
The group, upon their arrival in Columbus, GA, with their partner family, David and Tomeka Grayer, and their children, Kayla and Brandon.
The concrete slab foundation, awaiting the WC Habitat team!
The finished product! (We ran out of siding and could not finish the front gable.)
Jacob "Butter" Startt '13 carries 2x4's to begin building the walls of the house.
The first wall goes up!
Joshua Vaughn, of NeighborWorks Columbus, has served as house leader for the WC team for four years running. We could not do it without him!
Charles Grigg '10 prepares to walk the top of the wall.
The sheathing team works to nail the plywood to the frame of the house.
Matt Streeter '13 is all set to wear green on St. Patrick's Day!
Working in the rain, the team is all smiles, even in ankle-deep puddles.
Butter works off some steam in the home gym.
Elizabeth Menzie '14 models fashionable Habitat rainwear -- a trash bag poncho.
Roommates Katie Bradley '13 and Tara Keefe '13 work together in the rain.
Meredith Young '11 hammers plywood with determination.
Courtney Burton '12 puts the headers in over the doors to strengthen the doorways.
Charles and Meredith are both repeat Habitaters, back for their second year.
Josh pounds a stake into the ground to brace the end truss into place.
Kris Kelley '11 poses in a window. Kris is a three-time repeat Habitater, and shows off her hat from one of local partners, Rebuilding Together Kent County.
Raising the first truss on the front of the house takes a lot of teamwork!
The sun finally came out! The group wraps the house, while standing in water that goes over their boots and shoes.
Billie Ricketts '13 uses the reciprocating saw and sometimes her hammer to make the holes where windows and doors will go.
Emily Hoyle '14 smiles as she leads the group carrying trusses to the back of the house.
Roommates Courtney and Alyssa Velazquez '12 smile together at the end of a long day of work. (Alyssa is a three-time repeat Habitater, and is wearing her shirt from last year's Collegiate Challenge.)
Matt Streeter '13 helps to move the trusses into place, before they are set upright.
Service work is sweet when you get free ice cream! Billie and Prof. Wharton take advantage of the generosity of the merchants of Columbus, who provide Collegiate Challenge participants with discounts and free entertainment, during their off hours.
Tessa Port '14 stands in the boot-sucking mud to nail her piece of plywood on the house.
Charles waits for instruction, while raising the roof trusses.
The house, with interior walls complete, and trusses on the roof, waiting to be raised.
Katie Gildner '13 nails the plywood on securely around a window.
The team uses discarded plywood scraps to secure a drier footing in the mud.
Emily signs the house.
The fascia team installs the first board, which will eventually hold the soffit and gutters of the house.
Steve Stranahan '13 (another three-time repeat Habitater) hammers together the wide beams that will hold up the porch roof.
A group hoists up the plywood decking for the roof to Shane Broyles, of Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity.
Courtney and Claire Donald '13 share a high five!
Aubrey signs a WC flag to be presented to the directors of our partner organizations -- Cathy Williams of NeighborWorks Columbus and Brinkley Pound of Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity -- at a dinner celebration that evening at the home of Chuck and Cathy Williams.
The roofing crew installs the felt.
Ruth Farfel '13 with a sunny Mrs. Grayer. The Grayers were on the worksite every day, and were able to form lasting relationships with the WC students building their home.
Alyssa shows off her dancer's flexibility, which allows her to hammer on both sides of the roof at the same time!
Devin Hayward '14, part of the crew that sided the back gable, hangs out on the scaffolding, waiting for the next piece to hand up.
No time to stop for a photo op! The team works overtime in their green Collegiate Challenge shirts to get more work done before the group photo is taken.
The entire team signed the house wrap of the Grayers' home, and left messages for their new friends.
More wall writings surround the front door.
A "Welcome Home" sign from St. Mark's United Methodist Church, which has housed the WC Habitat Team for the last four years.
Shane tells Maria Rose Hynson, Staff Adviser to the group, just how much he'll miss the Washington College team.
Billie, Ellen and Tessa hug after a long, hard day of work.
A work of art on scraps from the porch, created by Kris, to be given to the Grayers.
A teary Shane hugs Tara and Katie good-bye.
Crying tears of gratitude, Mr. Grayer thanks Maria with a hug.
Some of our menfolk.
The Habitat team received a plaque in gratitude from the Grayer family at Thursday's dinner, hosted by Chuck and Cathy Williams.
Tomeka and Brandon Grayer smile with delight, to see their roof going up.
The final group photo! From left to right, back row: Charles Grigg '10, Meredith Young '11, Maria Rose Hynson (Staff Adviser), Tessa Port '14, Elizabeth Menzie '14, Ellen Huffman '13, Aubrey Hastings '13, Brandon Citrano '13, Alyssa Velazquez '12, Courtney Burton '12, Matt Streeter '13. Amanda Whitaker '12, Katie Gildner '13, Taylor Goss '13. Middle row: Emily Hoyle '14, Katie Bradley '13, Ruth Farfel '13, Claire Donald '13. Front row: Shane Broyles of Columbus Area Habitat for Humanity, Paul Schuler '14, David Wharton (Department of Economics), Sarah Billmyre '11, Tara Keefe '13, Steve Stranahan '12, Jacob Startt '13, Kris Kelley '11, Devin Hayward '14, Billie Ricketts '13, Darcy Klinedinst '13, Joshua Vaughn of NeighborWorks Columbus, David and Tomeka Grayer (Homeowners/Partner Family.)