Habitat Club Volunteers in North Carolina
While students vacated campus for various spring break adventures, a group of 18 students from the Castleton Habitat Club learned that a little love goes a long way.
Traveling roughly 800 miles down to Winston-Salem, North Carolina the dedicated group spent their time helping the community as part of an alternative spring break. Working alongside the Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County partaking in various service projects in the area, their time in the sun was not put to waste.
“The group of people that we got to work with were so focused and happy to be doing what they were doing,” said junior Eva Clark, a newcomer to the Castleton Habitat Club, “It was a really amazing environment to be in.”
Once arriving, the group’s one day off was spent at a local Salvation Army helping to organize and carry inside incoming donations, sorting through clothes and cleaning the storefront. The rest of the day was dedicated to the Samaritan Ministries, a local soup kitchen and homeless shelter.
For the remainder of the trip the group split into two groups of nine. One group remained at the Forsyth County Habitat’s Volunteer Lodge, while the other went down the road to rebuild a run-down porch for a retired firefighter and Navy veteran, Mr. Wilson.
“Meals on Wheels and Home Depot came together and granted a handful of veterans the opportunity to have renovations done on their home. Mr. Wilson just happened to be the first recipient. The group tore up his old porch, and build a new one,” said Kelly Mills, president of the CU Habitat Club.
Back at the volunteer lodge, students worked from 8 am to 3 pm insulating and installing piping and roofing, leveling rocks, building columns for the entrance, and working on the yard to plant grass.
Each day ended with showers at the local YMCA and a reflection time where students had difficulty deciding what their favorite part of the day was, saying there were usually too many high points to choose from.
It wasn’t all work as the group was able to attend a Wake Forrest vs. Duke University Division I baseball game on their day off.
“I feel blessed to have been able to work alongside such an amazing affiliate and club,” said Mills. “Everyone I encountered while on this trip has had a positive impact on my experience, whether it was by helping me get a stubborn nail out of wood or by saying a simple ‘hello’.”
To read more about Mills' personal experience on the trip, read her Castleton Engagement Blog Post.