The third annual Shack-A-Thon is expected to raise at least $6,000.
Syracuse University students (from left) Amanda Balch, Maureen Finn, Meaghan Fitzpatrick, Katie Hoole and Michael Dedes, participate in Habitat for Humanityâs annual Shack-A-Thon on the Syracuse University quad.This article written by Contributing Writer Christine Mehta
Syracuse, NY -- Dozens of students from Syracuse University and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry over the last two days have built 12 shacks in an annual event to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.
Students wielding drills and hammers started building the shacks on SU’s main quad on Wednesday. By Thursday evening, the students were done; they planned to spend the night.
The 3rd annual Shack-A-Thon is expected to raise at least $6,000, with different student groups such as fraternities or the ROTC sponsoring a shack for $500.
One group of 15 freshmen decided to build a shack for themselves, raising the money they needed to participate. “We’re all freshman, all new to this group, so we said let’s get involved and be part of a good cause,” said Heather Buchan, a communications and rhetorical studies student.
ESF Habitat for Humanity at SU, which was founded in 1991, has grown to include more than 300 students.
Maureen Finn, a sophomore who helped organize the event, said that advocacy and awareness of the need for affordable housing are the main reasons for the Shack-A-Thon.
“...You can’t really walk across the quad without wondering what’s going on,” she said. “Basically, the point of this is to get everyone’s attention.”
The group uses the money it raises to help construct new homes in Syracuse for low-income families.
Friday, two leaders of Habit for Humanity International will visit SU: Jose Quinonez, director of advocacy capacity building in Washington D.C., and Peter Rumsey, the director of national service in Atlanta.
On Saturday, 10 Habitat for Humanity campus chapters — all from within a three-hour drive of Syracuse — will meet at SU. “This is something we should have had for a long time,” said Justin Cole, co-executive director of SU Habitat group and a senior at SU.