A group of incoming freshmen are hammering nails and placing particleboard to help Habitat for Humanity build its 92nd home in Alamance County. The students are also getting a head start on meeting new friends and learning about campus life.
The group of 12 incoming freshmen and 2 student leaders is taking part in Pre-SERVE, an event hosted by the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Elon Volunteers! They are working on a Habitat house on Quintas Ave. in Burlington for Elva Chavez and her three daughters. Under the direction of David Hoxie, construction coordinator for the Alamance County chapter of Habitat, students will put in about 20 hours of work this week on the home.
Working on the house “gets these kids involved from the start of their college careers and interested in service work,” says Hoxie, who has worked with Elon students for nine summers on Habitat houses. The Pre-SERVE group will have a cookout with the Chavez family on Wednesday evening.
Heather Broughton of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., will enroll at Elon in the fall. She says she was excited to be chosen from a pool of more than 50 applicants to take part in the week-long Pre-SERVE program.
“I thought this would be a great way to help out the community where I’ll be living for the next four years,” says Broughton, who worked at a soup kitchen and was active in other community service projects throughout high school. “I knew this would be a great way to meet some new people before school starts, too.”
During the week, Pre-SERVE students will learn about other ways they can serve the local community during their Elon careers. The group is scheduled to work with children at the Boys and Girls Club in Burlington on Wednesday. They will also take part in other activities designed to introduce them to the Elon community, including meetings with administrators and visits to several local attractions.
-30-