HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL’S COLLEGIATE CHALLENGE

Collegiate Challenge is a year-round alternative break program coordinated by Habitat for Humanity International’s (HFHI)Campus Chapters and Youth Programs department. A team of four, only one of whom is paid HFHI staff, and three volunteers, coordinates the program.

Collegiate Challenge provides students with the opportunity to do something constructive on their school breaks by helping people in need build simple, decent, and affordable houses. While many students leave their books behind to head for the beach, Collegiate Challenge participants head to HFH work sites. They fund their own trips and make donations to host affiliates, providing needed funds for more homes.

A minister planted the seed for the program in 1989, when he challenged Campus Chapters to raise $66,000 to build six houses in Coahoma, Miss., and six houses overseas. This year more than 8,500 students from more than 400 schools have pledged more than $800,000 to more than 170 communities. Since the inception of Collegiate Challenge, more than 43,600 student participants have helped affiliates build, renovate, or work on more than 1,242 homes by donating more than $3,415,000.

By the time they leave the work site at the end of the week, students have witnessed firsthand that their efforts make a difference. Students often meet and work with the families who will purchase the homes, interacting with the partner families and discovering the difference a home will make in their lives. Accepting the challenge opens students’ eyes to the problem of poverty housing.

Nearly even community in the nation has a housing problem. According to a 1998 Department of Housing and Urban Development study, at least 5.3 million families in the United States, an estimated 12.5 million people, live in substandard housing. By volunteering with Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program, students are actively combating this grave social problem. Because of the Collegiate Challenge experiences, many students say they are rethinking their priorities and choosing to make volunteerism part of their lives forever.

Students’ enthusiasm causes the number of participants to increase every year. Not only do participants return year after year, bringing along more students, but they also work to end poverty housing in their own communities, start campus chapters, and volunteer with their local HFH affiliates.

GUY RECOTTA, JR.

The name Guy Recotta Jr. is synonymous with volunteerism in Hammond, Louisiana. Reaching people and serving others is what Mr. Recotta is all about. His choice of professions attests to his love and concern for others. Just after graduate school, he began working at a residential facility for the physically and mentally challenged. He thought he was making a career choice, but now he realizes it was a lifestyle choice as well.

The Special Olympics has a special place in Recotta’s life and heart. He has been a trainer and chaperone to Special Olympians on the local, state, regional and international level. For a dozen years, the Louisiana Special Olympics were held in Hammond and Recotta was the Games Director. He has been a member of the Louisiana Board of Special Olympics and he initiated a project called “Walk Down One” in which volunteers walk down Highway One from the most northern part of the state to the shores of the Gulf collecting pledges along the way. His goal was to collect donations as well as raising the awareness of the Games and the contributions the mentally and physically challenged can make to society.

Recotta was also instrumental in spearheading and organizing the first Hospice organization in the area after a terminally ill friend of his who wanted to spend his last days at home had no professional group to turn to for assistance. After his friend passed away, Recotta was instrumental in starting the Richard Murphy Hospice, and more than $40,000 was raised that year; and all of the donations went to the care of clients. Since its inception in 1984, the donations to the Richard Murphy Hospice have increased, and it is just one of a number of legacies Recotta can be proud of founding.

In 1992, Recotta recognized the need for housing for low-income families. A church group approached him, and they organized the first Habitat for Humanity organization in the area. Recotta has organized many fundraisers such as a Thrift Shop, baseball tournament and a birdhouse auction. His innovative fundraising events have raised more than $10,000 for Habitat. Since 1992, the organization has built five homes for 25 adults and children.

For many years, Recotta has also been involved with the Hammond Chamber of Commerce where education issues and small business concerns have been his primary focus. He was recently installed as President, and as chair of the steering committee of the first Southeast Regional Economic Summit, he united community leaders, educators, area businesses and regional and national speakers with interested citizens to address and plan for the needs of their community for the future.

Currently, Recotta is employed as the Clerk of the Court for the Seventh Ward. He uses his time to visit area high schools and universities and informs students of the laws that directly affect them. His proactive approach had educated many youth and their parents and he hopes it keeps them from meeting in a courtroom. Recotta is also a member of the Mayor’s Strategic Planning Commission. He led a building fund drive to build a new church and surpassed his goal of $3 million. His efforts earned him recognition from the Holy Ghost School and Southeastern University as Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. He was also a Hammond Junior Auxiliary Hall of Fame Honoree in 1991.

JAMES BRAWLEY

James W. Brawley is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, St. Thomas More Council, Number 2188 in Westwood, N.J., and also shares his time volunteering with the St. Andrew’s Church. He has been involved in numerous activities with the Knights of Columbus, and he serves as a Lector and a member of the Human and Social Concerns Committee at St. Andrew’s. Brawley excels as a servant. He has had a productive life, yet he continues to share so much of himself to anyone who needs assistance.

His day begins by going to the local food stores. There, he collects the day old breads and rolls they will not use. He then takes the time to distribute these items to those who need groceries but cannot afford the same. Brawley is an integral part of the ministry at the Church. He and his workers maintain the church’s food pantry. Weekly, approximately 20 families come to the pantry to receive food for their families.

The church also sponsors a clothing donation, and when fire destroyed the church hall, clothing donations were going to be suspended. There was no place to store all the items; however, Brawley took the donations to his home. Not only did he assist so that the drive was not stopped, but he also did the appropriate research and made the distribution to those who needed the clothing items. In addition to that, whenever he has excess food and/or clothing for local distribution, he transports them to Newark – which is about 30 miles away – to distribute to the homeless in that city.

Though Brawley does not speak Spanish, he is an advocate of the Hispanic population in his community. St. Andrews holds a Spanish Mass on Sunday evenings, and it has a very large attendance. Brawley participates in the Mass and maintains a roster of the families. Any family that has a need is also documented so that he can assist them. Brawley has provided aid in seeking jobs, finding suitable housing for families, as well as food and clothing. During the holidays, he and his group of workers fill numerous boxes with food donations and gifts for the community. His words may not be understood, but all he serves understands his actions, love, and compassion.

James Brawley was born in 1925 and served as a First Lieutenant in the Army Transportation Corps. His is married and has 14 children. Brawley is respected and admired by most people with whom he comes in contact. He is received with love and open arms because he is such a positive part of the community. His volunteer spirit shines through in his everyday ritual and is an example to all.

SACHEM HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH VOLUNTEER CENTER

There is now a place in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York where young people can go to search for volunteer opportunities in their community. The Volunteer Center of Sachem High School has a goal of getting the students of Sachem involved in opportunities that interest them and promotes their involvement in their community. They have short term as well as long-term opportunities available throughout the school year. The Volunteer Center is an after-school club that students can join.

Most importantly, the Center has introduced students to volunteer opportunities in their community. The Smithtown Guide Foundation and Riverhead Foundation for Marine Science and Preservation came and spoke to the students about opportunities of service in their organizations. Students have already participated in several fundraising events, and they are in the process of planning future events.

The Center has volunteered in the Walk for Beauty, raised money for Breast Cancer Education and research and they have participated in the “Twelve Days of Charity” which is an event designed by the volunteer center that raised approximately $1500. The proceeds from the Twelve Days of Charity went to the Make a Wish Fund, Little Angel Fund, Guide Dog Foundation and Rainbow Kids. They are working on a pancake breakfast for charity, a park stewardship with Suffolk County Legislator, planning a blood drive and a mobile mammography unit for staff and community members. They are in the planning phases for a program called Welcome Wagon. This will help welcome new students to the school and give them an initial network of support.

To date, the Center has raised over $3000 for various charitable organizations. They have learned more about their community and have made a commitment to make it a better place. Some of their programs were unique – the Twelve Days of Charity, park steward program and welcome wagon- yet the volunteers worked to make them a success. The Volunteer Center’s activities have been their own publicity. Through their planning, dedication and hard work, other clubs and groups are getting more involved in events planned by the Center and creating new programs of service.

The club runs throughout the school year. There are opportunities within the school as well as other opportunities supporting the community at large. Many times, the media portrays our youth as being a lost generation with no compassion or regard for others. The Volunteer Center at Sachem High School dispels this myth, and the volunteers are showing the community they are productive youth and they care also.

DANIEL CELLUCCI

Daniel Cellucci is the President of the St. Joseph’s Preparatory chapter of the Community Service Corps (CSC). Daniel is currently a senior, and he has been an active member since his freshman year. He was instrumental in the operation of all the organization’s programs. The CSC’s philosophy is to emphasize service to the community by teenagers. The school is geographically located in north Philadelphia, an economically disadvantaged area, and the programs of CSC serve this neighborhood.

During his freshman year, Daniel began to tutor. His manner is quiet and patient, yet quite effective. Each week about 15 children are assisted with their homework and also given an enrichment challenge in math and reading. This fosters an atmosphere of learning as well as a mentoring relationship.

Daniel’s leadership skills were sharpened the more he served. He and another student created a new program call Operation Atlas. This is a cultural awareness program run by students and presented to the sixth grade students in a nearby school. Students from St. Joseph Prep choose a culture, line up speakers, and bring in the appropriate cultural items, pictures, and food to be sampled by the younger students. This model was adopted by other CSC chapters, and each year since its inception, Daniel organized a clothing drive, also. The drive brought in more than 100 large bags of clothing, jackets and blankets annually. He also led food drives to feed families at Thanksgiving.

Under Daniel’s direction, Operation Santa Claus collected more than $7,000 dollars this year. Prep students used the money to buy, wrap, and bag toys that were distributed by teams of students on Christmas Eve. Each spring, Daniel organizes a special drive addressing a particular need in the community such as fans for the elderly one year and sports equipment another.

This is all quite a tremendous amount of accomplishment for a high school senior, but Daniel’s work does not end here. In early fall, the Prep’s CSC committed to fully sponsoring a house to renovate with Habitat for Humanity. This was a huge undertaking and they needed to raise $50,000 to complete the project. Daniel wrote several grant proposals, and he designed a brochure announcing this endeavor. St. Joseph Prep surpassed the goal, and they will be the first school on the East Coast to sponsor a house. Starting this spring, teams of Prep students will begin the physical renovation. This will help to cement a commitment to service by the teenage students that they will carry into their adult lives.

MARY CRAWFORD LEBLANC

Mary LeBlanc is a full-time ninth grade English teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her motto is “Service is the rent you pay for living on God’s earth.” She has, in deed, been paying her rent by volunteering with numerous needy causes. LeBlanc uses the vast majority of her time and talent to help Louisiana children in both the Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes. She was elected Woodlawn High School’s 1998 Teacher of the Year as a result of her outstanding performance as an educator. She spends hours of her days and nights with the less fortunate children in Baton Rouge.

LeBlanc was contacted in 1996 by Francis Asbury Methodist Church to assist a family in need. During the Chirstmas season, the family was faced with the challenges of not having food, clothing and toys for their children. The head of the family was a battered mother with severe injuries, and the only possessions she and her children had were the clothes on their backs. LeBlanc contributed more than $700 worth of toys, clothes, food, toys and cash to the family.

What started as a personal effort three years ago to help a family in need at Christmastime has evolved into a program that pairs academically successful high school students with 40 children who are facing tremendous challenges in their young lives. LeBlanc started a mentoring program as a project for the National Honor Society Members to serve in their community. She single-handedly directs the program in addition to her paid duties as an educator. The program includes 80 high school students that travel out of the parish weekly to tutor and spend time with the children. The older students come with a smile on their face as well as a treat, a snack that the children would otherwise not have. In addition to that, field trips to the zoo, McDonald’s and the movie theatre have been an enjoyable pasttime for the pairs.

In 1997 LeBlanc and her students raised donations of toys, food and clothing for children in dire need. That year during the Christmas season, 30 children, had food, clothing, and a toy for Christmas. The need to develop a permanent partnership with the needy children weighed heavily on LeBlanc, so she continued directing the mentoring program and also extended the drives to Easter and Thanksgiving as well as Christmas. In the donated hall of a local church, mentors take turns bringing food each Wednesday and preparing a small nutritious meal for the children. In addition to tutoring and mentoring the adoptive children, the program plans special events like Valentines and Easter parties. The adoptive children were once called lost souls because they face terrible hardships, but Mary LeBlanc knows they are true angels.

The school formally adopted the National Honor Society Mentoring Program for Needy Children in 1998. There was a kickoff party launching the same, and LeBlanc tied a pink or blue balloon to the wrist of each mentor with the name of their adopted child as a reminder of the importance of their commitments. The children selected for the program are in critical need – most are behind in school and development by two to three years, their homes lack running water, and they usually only eat the meals served at school. They work hard to just exist and survive. The most important thing they need from their mentor is positive individual attention and an outlet from the challenges they face daily.

KERRI STEPHEN

Kerri Stephen has been serving her community since the age of six. She began her work in a homeless shelter in Washington DC. Her family volunteered so she did also – matched shoes in a clothing room. Her efforts have only increased since that young age and her work has opened the eyes of many to the plight of the homeless, especially the children.

Kerri’s mother became director of a 30-bed Homeless Prevention Center operated by Volunteers of America Chesapeake in Woodbridge, Virginia in 1990. At that time, Kerri immediately began to offer her time by becoming a friend and a supporter to the children living at the Center. Kerri was a welcome friend to some who were shunned because they did not have a home. In 1995, when Kerri was twelve, she and three former residents her age asked for formalize an AfterShare Kids as in independent program. AfterShare had already been started at the center. It is a unique program of support and service for former residents of the shelter that come back to volunteer.

With Kerri’s guidance, the group did create their own program with their own missions. They also solicited donations so their activities would have funding. AfterShare Kids gave a presentation to a local restaurant which resulted in a donation of several thousand dollars. They used this money to purchase their own computer and began to collect writings by children about being homeless. Their work was displayed at the AfterShare Kids first speaking engagement in 1996.

Kerri was recognized for her genuine spirit and effort and was honored with the JCPenney National Golden Rule Award. She continued her work with AfterShare Kids, and in 1997, Kerri organized a collection and distribution of winter clothes for needy children as a “Make a Difference Day” project. Residents joined in and assisted the AfterShare Kids. They sorted clothes and boosted their self-esteem because their aid helped themselves and over 350 other children. The AfterShare Kids program was a success and they were awarded $2,000 for their program. In 1998, they launched a Web site that is shared with their “parent organization,” and they raised over $2,400 towards furnishings for the Center’s up and coming move to a new building. In addition to this, speaking engagements included an elementary school that raised $5,000 to benefit homeless families.

In January of 1999, Kerri was named the second most influential person in the county by a local paper. She was also filmed by Napro Productions along with other AfterShare Kids for EXPLORIS, which is a Raleigh, North Carolina children’s museum. The documentary is used by Volunteers of America Chesapeake as a tool to educate others about the plight of homeless children in America. Kerri was also taped for the “Nick News” show in September of the same year.

Kerri’s friendships resulted in a relatively new AfterShare Kid gaining the self-confidence to represent homeless children at the National Coalition for the Homeless’s 1999 Forget Me Not Campaign. At the young age of 16, Kerri has done many things most adults have not. She has volunteered a decade of her life to focus on giving homeless youth of all ages a feeling of love and self-worth. Kerri has touched the lives of thousands of homeless people and will continue to touch many more.

LITA OF MARIN

Love is the Answer (LITA) is a grassroots, volunteer organization that has been serving the frail elderly of Marin County for more than two decades. This organization was founded in 1975 and grew out of a need to bring happiness, friendship, and purpose into the lives of lonely seniors in long-term care facilities. LITA matches volunteers as one-to-one friends for residents of 25 facilities in the county. More than 300 volunteers carry out all but one percent of LITA’s work. The volunteers are of all ages and backgrounds. LITA has recently implemented a program that allows youth to participate.

The need for LITA’s services has become more urgent as the population of the county ages. The most rapidly growing population segment in Marin County is the group aged 75 or older. By 2010, Marin will have the highest median age of any county in the state. Young people find the homes in the area too costly and are forced to look elsewhere.

More disturbing is that 60% of the elderly people residing in long term care facilities have no family or their families live too far away to visit. The residents put into the nursing homes feel abandoned and unneeded. They are unable to function as in the past and their declining health is discouraging to them. After a full, rich, and productive life, older citizens are placed with others in their age bracket and there is no diversity. They get little or no stimulation and are isolated from the general population.

LITA is an example of inspired assistance. They are committed to improving the quality of life of elders. Their Intergenerational Learning Program combines young people with seniors to share experiences and understanding, which benefits both generations. The Life History Project trains volunteers to develop and write life histories of the seniors in the community, thereby instilling a sense of history that can be carried into the future. Pet Connection volunteers include their pets in their visits, creating a feeling of home that may not have been experienced by the residents since they were able to care for themselves.

LITA of Marin is meeting critical emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of the elderly. The values gained through LITA youth programs are carried into the future by the next generation. LITA brings hope and a reason for living to this often forgotten part of our population. Sometimes the hustle and bustle of our active lives takes us away from our community, and we could not imagine what it is like to be isolated. Every day, LITA volunteers bring happiness and friendship into the lives of seniors. They are a critical part of the human needs outreach in Marin, and they remind the elderly that their lives do matter to someone.

JACKSON SERVANT LEADERSHIP CORPS

The Jackson Servant Leadership Corps (JSLC) is an ecumenical service and leadership development program employing young adults for 12 months of community service, leadership training, and spiritual growth. Corps members share a residence in the inner city of Jackson, MS, and work full-time for non-profit agencies serving Jackson’s inner city. There is one full-time staff member, the director for the JSLC.

One of the many projects in which we have sponsored for the last three years is the Martin Luther King Day of Service. The event brought together approximately 26 religious and non-religious youth organizations for what is called “A Day On, Not A Day Off!” The project involved more than 500 teenagers of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. In an intentional diverse environment, students came together for the purpose of observing MLK Day and experiencing the most joyful sacraments called reconciliation and service. The project was funded by the Corporation for National Service with an award of $3,300 and several other businesses.

The community’s needs and social problems that were addressed by the project include housing development, homelessness, neighborhood beautification, education, youth development and leadership training, and racism. The innovative approach used to address these social problems was to intentionally place teens in work groups which were racially diverse. Service project included teens performed 25 different service projects ranging from landscaping, painting, and rebuilding playgrounds to demolishing dilapidated houses, cleaning senior’s homes and feeding the homeless.

Though the MLK project is a once a year activity, the JSLC encourage teens to stay connected with the organization in which they served or to serve through other agencies. The servant leaders however, who have committed a year to JSLC, recruit volunteers throughout the year to serve at their agencies for the purpose of mobilizing the volunteers to continue serving an investing in the community.

The MLK Day of Service was made into a two-day event. On January 16, 2000, there was a pre-rally celebration to promote racial reconciliation and set a forum for discussion on several topics surrounding race in America. It was also a time for teenagers to meet the team in which they will serve with on the actual work day. The goal of the Pre Rally was to provide a setting conducive to racial reconciliation and a place where interracial friendships can be made. On MLK Day, January 17th, various acts of kindness were performed to coincide with the theme of “Martin Luther King Day of Service: A Day On, Not A Day Off.” Teenagers and volunteer met at Gallaway Methodist Church for the opening rally, where footage of Dr. King’s speeches and the civil rights movement were shown. The event was then followed with an address from a staff member of the Perkins Foundation, on the subject “God’s One Item Agenda-Reconciliation.”

Teens gathered with their teams of diversity and served together. Work sites included Operation ShoeString, Perkins Foundation, Voice of Calvary Ministries, and a host of others. The MLK Day ended with a rally closing the memorable and impacting day.

ABBY WEINZER

Abby Weinzer was born with Pierre Robin Syndrome, a rare muscular skeleton condition that causes chronic skeletal pain and hearing loss. When she was born, the doctors told her mother she would not live, and they sent her home to die. Abby and her family fought the disorder and together they are winning. Simply walking causes her pain, but Abby has found time in a mere 14 years of life to continue her fight against another culprit – the plight of homeless children.

Abby began her volunteer service at the age of five when she gathered toys to take to local homeless shelters and distribute to the children there. At the age of 10, she served her first dinner at a homeless shelter in Phoenix, and her dedication to the community has blossomed from there. While continuing to work at the homeless shelter, the faces of shivering children in threadbare clothing hugging themselves to stay warm was burned in her memory. She immediately knew more had to be done.

Abby conceived Operation Sleep Sac. She thought it would be of great assistance to get donations of new sleeping bags, toiletries and stuffed animals for the children in the shelter. The new bags and toiletries would promote dignity and provide warmth. The stuffed animals would provide a sense of security for the child whether they be on the street for a night or in a homeless shelter. Her idea was not taken seriously by local businesses when she approached them for donations of sleeping bags. Although she was frustrated, Abby was undeterred and kept her dream alive.

At the age of thirteen, Abby was the youngest person to ever receive the 1998 City of Phoenix, District Two Young Women of the Year Award, and she used the opportunity to present City Councilman, Tom Milton with a fully developed prospectus for Operation Sleep Sac. Councilman Milton endorsed the project and advised that Abby’s prospectus was more professional than the many he receives from adults. This endorsement led to Abby meeting the Executive Director of HomeBase Youth Services (HBYS), a Phoenix-based, non-profit agency serving homeless teenagers. HBYS also agreed to sponsor Operation Sleep Sac and allow donations to be made through HBYS for the program. In its first six months Operation Sleep Sac raised more than $10,000. Today it has become its own 501©(3) organization, raising more than $38,000 for homeless children in need.

Not only has she conceived and implemented Operation Sleep Sac, but also Abby has managed and developed a school liaison project between city high schools and the City of Phoenix Youth and education. She has also developed and integrated “Positive Voices, Positive Choices” theme for the 1999 City of Phoenix Youth Town Hall and jumpstarted First Jobs Arizona, which is an advisory council, and been the youngest youth voice for disabled families. She is the recipient of the Prudential Spirit of Community bronze medal, Mildred Tauman Volunteerism Award, Ability Counts Award, Desert Shadows Middle School Outstanding Female Student Award and George Washington Medal of Honor.

Abby’s compassion reflects her own understanding of pain and suffering. She is a bright shining star in Phoenix and holds to the highest standards of personal integrity and character. Excellence in every pursuit is her goal.