Sixteen Castleton students chose to spend their spring break cleaning, landscaping and building homes for others through the Habitat International Collegiate Challenge program, which allows students to journey to various Habitat affiliates to volunteer during their winter, summer and fall breaks.
Traveling all the way to Kentucky, the group partnered with a Lexington affiliate to raise walls on a Habitat home.
“I thought the idea of doing something good for others was a better way to spend my spring break than going home or doing the traditional spring break trip,” said Castleton Habitat Club Treasurer Cassandra VanDyne, who has been involved in the club since its inception in 2011.
The Habitat for Humanity organization is a non-profit association that helps build and repair homes for millions of low-income families worldwide.
For the past 25 years, more than 229,000 students have spent their school breaks volunteering across the country through Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program, donating more than $23 million to Habitat affiliates.
Partnering with local branches of Habitat for Humanity, the Castleton Habitat Club sponsors a yearly alternative spring break trip to a Habitat for Humanity site.
The volunteer students spent a full week devoted to the cause, assisting with the interior and exterior wall installations for the home of a single father named Mason and his son.
VanDyne says meeting Mason and his son Jordan made the trip more than memorable, allowing students to see first-hand the difference their work makes in peoples lives.
“Everyone deserves an affordable home,” said VanDyne. “I feel like working with Habitat for Humanity helps to improve the lives of people who would otherwise not be able to afford their own home. It is extremely rewarding work and I plan to continue to work with Habitat after graduation.”