Collegiate Challenge teams help Habitat build more

By Julia Sellers, Habitat for Humanity publications writer/editor

Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County is in the business of expanding its reach, and that includes hosting annual Collegiate Challenge teams to bring in more youth volunteers.

“It’s a self-selecting group,” says Debbie Cesta, Habitat Forsyth County’s corporate and community engagement manager, noting that students who give up spring break “are the kind of kids who are really here to serve.”

So far in 2015, 176 local Habitat affiliates have played host to 667 groups. Since 1998, Habitat Forsyth County has welcomed 175 students and advisers per year. Each year, the affiliate even has regular returning groups from LaSalle University, Villanova University, and high schools in Vermont and New Hampshire.

For the week of each team’s visit, Habitat Forsyth County diligently puts together a volunteer program that welcomes youth volunteers into a setting that encourages personal growth — from the build site to reflection time back at the group dorms, says Cesta. The local Habitat staff insure that the week’s duties include tangible efforts — everything from raising trusses to landscaping – so that participating students can see their impact at the end of their service.

Part of the initiation into the Habitat Forsyth Collegiate Challenge club includes decorating a ceiling tile celebrating memories from the week. The dorm ceiling is now a colorful collection of thousands of volunteers’ interpretation of their service.

Habitat Forsyth is building new volunteer housing that will allow for teams of up to 40 members and plans to expand to hosting 30 to 40 teams per year, a move that would triple their current volunteer capacity.

“We see the benefit of it. This program is very valuable to us,” Cesta says. “The mother in me comes out, and we just want to provide the best experience possible.”

Are you a local Habitat affiliate interested in hosting Collegiate Challenge groups throughout the year? Email us at [email protected] for more information.

Are you a student ready to serve? Learn more about Collegiate Challenge.