In partnership with Elon’s campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the Interfraternity Council is participating in the second annual Stud-a-Thon, working to complete the 28th house built by our campus chapter.
In partnership with Elon’s campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the Interfraternity Council is participating in the second annual Stud-a-Thon, working to complete the 28th house built by the chapter.
Last year’s inaugural Stud-a-Thon was such a success that the groups joined together again in the three-part event: each fraternity and the Habitat campus chapter decorated a stud to go in the house, served on a volunteer shift to complete direct service in building the home, and raised funds to support the cost of the construction.
“We couldn’t be happier with the students who came out to serve for the Elon Stud-a-Thon” said James Hunter, construction supervisor for Habitat for Humanity of Alamance County. “They were eager and attentive. They really helped us make fast progress on the house. We’ll be able to finish WAY ahead of schedule now.”
Having many college students available to serve on the house on the weekday shifts speeds up the completion time of a home, according to Sarah Williams, program coordinator for the Kernodle Center for Service Learning. Weekday shifts filled by the fraternity members as part of Stud-a-Thon meet a need for the local Habitat affiliate because these shifts often have fewer volunteers since many people work during those hours, she said
In addition to scheduled shifts as part of Stud-a-Thon, some fraternity members enjoyed the work so much that they scheduled additional shifts on their own. In fact, after serving on their Stud-a-Thon shift, the Beta Theta Pi fraternity expressed interest in building a partnership with the local Habitat affiliate and committed to covering every Wednesday shift for the rest of the spring semester – providing three months of steady service for the nonprofit. Cathy Lamb, associate executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Alamance County, said that returning service is valuable for the nonprofit because “it’s affirmation that the fraternity members’ volunteer experience was meaningful.”
While the studs have been decorated and the fraternities have served on the building site, fundraising continues this April. Interested in supporting a favorite fraternity, the campus Habitat chapter or the Stud-a-Thon fundraiser in general? Make a donation here.
This partnership would not have been possible without the student leadership of Sam Murphy, the Interfraternity Council’s director of programming, and the Habitat for Humanity campus chapter fundraising coordinators, Abby Noyes and Audrey Harris, as well as the campus chapter director, Olivia Duffield.
“The opportunity to bring my passion for Habitat to fellow members of my fraternity community was an incredibly fulfilling experience and one I hope to continue to cultivate next year, and progress towards a long and fruitful partnership between the two groups,” Murphy said.