The Quadrangle

Issue date: 3/23/05 Section: Features

On Saturday, 5 March a group of Manhattan College students returned dirty and tired from a long day of working on a house for Habitat for Humanity. While the day may be long and difficult, those who participate in this program consider it an extremely rewarding experience for all who participate.

Three times each semester, students volunteer to help the Westchester branch of Habitat for Humanity to build houses for needy families. While Manhattan College has had a Habitat group for a while, it has only become popular in the last couple of years. Under the guidance of Kinah Ventura the students of Manhattan have flourished and welcomed the idea of helping needy families have a place to live, while having fun.

Students have had the opportunity to learn many new things while volunteering for Habitat, according to Ventura, "The students do a number of things for the houses. This past trip they spent most of their time putting up sheet rock, but they have also been involved in painting, cementing, demolishing, and lots of hammering."

Although it is helpful to have some knowledge of construction it is not necessary to participate in the program. "Since Habitat relies on the help of their volunteers they have professionals that are there to teach the volunteers to do things they would not normally do," said Ventura. She continued to say that the Westchester chapter is especially grateful to Manhattan for providing such diligent and hard-working people who are happy to be there, "They really like our students, and they like us to come whenever we want, which is such a nice compliment."

While most of the work that Jaspers have participated in has come in the beginning of construction, they have met some of the people who would be living in the homes. According to Ventura, "Habitat requires that the people who will be living in one of the home spend a certain amount of hours, or sweat equity, into building some of the house. It's so nice for us to meet these people; it makes you feel closer to the job."

Although Manhattan provides a number of volunteers, other schools also participate in the building of these homes. Schools such as Providence and Fordham have also been working on the homes that are being built in Yonkers. Along with many colleges, large corporations such as IBM and Merrill Lynch have also sent volunteers to help build homes for these families in need.

While the number of Manhattan College students that participate varies from each trip, the number of Jaspers that attend is usually between ten and twenty, "There is always a core group of students that will show up, but we always get new faces too. Sometimes it just depends on what else is going on at the campus," said Ventura.

Not only do new students show up to support the project, but the administration supplies their support as well. "When we were there on Saturday our new Dean of Students [Dr. Colette Geary] came by and brought us hot chocolate and donuts. It was not only a nice opportunity for her to meet some of the students outside of the campus, but it was also nice for them to meet her," said Ventura.

The students of Manhattan will again participate in a building project for Habitat for Humanity on April 9. Flyers will be spread around campus as usual and a mass e-mail and Audix will be sent to all students. Interested students should contact Kinah Ventura in the Campus Ministry and Social Action Department (extension 7477) for more information.

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