Royal Purple - April 12, 2006

Habitators lend hands
ERIN DINKLENBURG
Staff writer

 

	Photo submitted
Savanah Blaser (left) and Casey Jones (right) pose next to a home they helped build with the UW-Whitewater Habitat for Humanity campus chapter. The Hire-a-Habitator fundraising program hopes to finance the construction of three houses during the summer of 2006.

     The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater chapter of Habitat for Humanity volunteers will be on location at local businesses and homes participating in a program called Hire-a-Habitator.
     On each day habitators will clean, scrub or do other projects needed in order to support the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
     “This is for a good cause,” said junior and Chapter President Brenda Palzkill.
     The recommended amount to donate is a minimum of $10/hr per person and donations are tax deductible.
     Proceeds collected go to the Walworth County Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing.
     The Hire-a-Habitator program is done once every fall and spring semester. Last fall semester more than $30,000 was collected and there were more than 60 volunteers who visited 30 different sites.
     “Each semester [of Hire-a-Habitator] our goal is to increase in donations and volunteers from the past semester,” said Palzkill.
     The campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity has been established for 20 years and the Hire-a-Habitator program has been on campus for about seven years.
     “[Hire-a-Habitator] is a great way for the organization to become known on campus,” said sophomore and Special Events Coordinator Ashley Godfrey.
     Currently, the organization is fundraising to build three houses on Franklin Street this summer.
      For more information call (262) 473-5555.