Tech students are partnering with Habitat for Humanity this spring to raise money and awareness for needy families in Putnam County.From March 21 to April 8, the first floor of the RUC will be home to House on the Wall. House on the Wall is a fundraiser that will allow donors to buy index card “bricks” for $1. Those “bricks” will be placed on the wall of the RUC, allowing passersby to see a house-shaped representation of the donations received. Donations will be accepted for the House on the Wall every weekday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Students from Linda Giesbrecht-Bettoli’s Group Dynamics class have been visiting local businesses to distribute press kits about Habitat for Humanity. From there, business owners can buy poster board “windows,” “doors,” a “roof,” and “clouds” to add on to the House on the Wall.
“It’s good advertising for businesses,” said Samantha Kendall, junior public relations major. “It shows that they care about Habitat for Humanity and the Cookeville community.”
On April 1, while the House on the Wall continues to be built in the RUC, the Tech chapter of Habitat will host Shack-a-Thon on the main quad or inside Memorial Gym in the case of inclement weather.
Shack-a-Thon invites participants to build and reside in cardboard mansions overnight. Starting at 6 p.m., teams will be given four hours to build the best house they can. The freshly fabricated shacks will be judged by a panel of Tech faculty and “celebrity judges.”
At least one person per team is supposed to spend the night sleeping in the shacks. At 9 a.m. the next morning, awards will be given for the shacks in several categories, including Most Creative, Biggest and Best All-Around.
There is a $25 entry fee for the Shack-a-Thon. More information, and the entry form for Shack-a-Thon, can be found at orgs.tntech.edu/habitat. Jeremy Wendt, faculty adviser for the Tech chapter of Habitat can be reached at jwendt@tntech.edu.
Finally, on April 5, preceding the SOLO Concert, students will be able to purchase glow sticks. The precise time and place of the glow stick fundraiser has yet to be announced.
All proceeds from the various fundraisers will go to Habitat.
Brenda Wilson’s Introduction to Public Relations class is responsible for the House on the Wall and glow stick fundraisers. Questions concerning those fundraisers can be directed to brendawilson@tntech.edu.
