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Building Homes, Building Relationships
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Alumni Josh Hyde ’16 and Isaiah Chapman ’18 enjoyed working together on a Habitat project again. -
Once a leader, always a leader on the worksite! Former Habitat Club treasurers Stag McDyre ’15 and Angelica Mullins ’17 work with current club president, Justin Yerkie ’19, under the direction of former president Erika Koontz ’17. -
Victoria Gill ’21 and Kerri Harrigan ’20 work under the direction of John Foster ’76 to build a shed for a second Habitat home. -
Colleen Larsen ’21 gives Sondra, Matt Arthur ’19, Jake Vassalotti ’20, and Jonathon Luciano ’20 a hand (or a foot?) by bracing the walls while they hammer. -
Washington College Habitat for Humanity students, alumni, and friends pose with the walls that they built for the future Habitat homeowner, Sondra (front row, gray shirt).
Alongside thousands of courageous and passionate volunteers, Habitat for Humanity (HFH) has helped more than 13 million people discover strength and resilience while building their own home.
Washington College’s Habitat for Humanity Club is no exception. While many students spend their spring break searching for sunshine or catching up on sleep, Habitat trekked 1,000 miles to Mobile, Alabama – spending a week doing demolition, renovation, and restoration to local homes. After returning to campus, they jumped right into their next venture – a 20th anniversary celebration.
In true Habitat for Humanity fashion, they kicked off the celebration with a service event – Framing Frenzy. Bright and early on Saturday morning, the Kent Lawn was transformed into a construction site. Equipped with lumber, hammer, saws, and nails, they set out to build the exterior walls of a house, right in the middle of campus.
As Habitat alumni and current club members reunited, “there were lots of hugs, tears, and laughter,” remarks Dylan Grimes ’19, Habitat for Humanity’s fundraising chair. They were joined by the Central Delaware HFH division and the future homeowners as they built the framework for the second story of a home in Dover.
“It’s been a fun challenge getting this whole day together,” says Caitlyn Creasy ’20, vice president of WC’s Habitat for Humanity Club. “But we wouldn’t have been able to do this project without the support of Central Delaware HFH.
With more than 40 people in attendance, the build went off without a hitch.
After completing the outside walls for the home in Dover, participants started building a shed for Tuckahoe, another local Habitat for Humanity affiliate. The finished walls were loaded onto trucks and sent to their new home, but the celebration was not over. Students and alumni traded in their work boots and gloves for dresses and suits and headed down to the Hodson Boathouse for the 20th anniversary gala.
Distance was no problem for attendees, as alumni and past construction leaders traveled all the way from Alaska, South Carolina, and New Jersey for a night of storytelling, great food, and dancing.
“Guests have been texting and emailing me all week that they didn’t want the night to end,” remarks Grimes. With more than 80 attendees, she says, “It was above and beyond what we ever expected.”
— Meredith Kenton ’19