HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Habitat Club
Habitat for Humanity (HFH) is a non-profit organization that builds houses across the country for the many families struggling to find homes. Through their organization, I committed hundreds of hours to their mission as I built and fundraised for them throughout high school. I started the Habitat Club in 2020 while school was still online and have continued my commitment to them currently and will do so in the future. So far, the club has raised over $15,000 with the Youth Council for Habitat, Orange County, NC over its lifespan.
The Equity Project
One of my major accomplishments with Habitat for Humanity is The Equity Project - I initiated this fundraising campaign during my junior year and raised over $5,000. The Equity Project's goal is "creating equal opportunities for all, and building homes for the holidays." This idea originated after observing the differences in the quality of homes between established neighborhoods and neglected housing areas. The demand for rental homes for low-income households has skyrocketed, and the cost of living has greatly increased over the last couple years across the nation.
The Equity Project uses a reward system to incentivize and appreciate donors. As a club, we created stickers for the donors, hung posters and posted them online, and delivered gift baskets for the donors. The Equity Project ended up running from November to May as it grew and blossomed.
2021 Rake-A-Thon
Each year, the school clubs in my county participate in Rake-A-Thon, a day long fundraiser where we rake lawns for HFH donations. We raised a total of $2,535.
2022 Rake-A-Thon
The following year, our club had grown to around 70 members, so we were able to get more people to cover houses. We raised a total of $3,175.
2023 Rake-A-Thon
This year, our club had surpassed 100 members, and we were able to finish houses quicker in larger teams. We raised a total of $2,700.
Builds at Odie Street
For the first three years of the club, we worked at Odie Street, which was a 17-house neighborhood in Hillsborough that HFH had been building. The club helped lay foundations, scaffold, raise walls, paint, and landscape. The clubs across our county logged over 2,000 volunteer labor hours. At the end of junior year, the street was finished and families could finally move in.
For the club's hard work, our local newspaper, The Local Reporter, wrote an article about our club's work on Odie Street.
Hometown Hero Award
Habitat for Humanity Orange County awarded me with a Volunteer Spotlight for the Equity Project and bestowed me with an Aspiring Leader Award for my work.
For the club's work at Odie Street, cofounder and vice president, Nicodemus Keenan and I were awarded the title "Hometown Hero" from 97.9 The Hill. You can visit the site below to listen to our club's faculty advisor, Benjamin Bassett, discuss our club and our roles.
