Mount Marty Students Spend Spring Break with Habitat for Humanity

Eleven Mount Marty College students and their supervisor will join more than 12,000 fellow spring breakers from across the country March 3 – 7 to participate in Habitat for Humanity’s “Collegiate Challenge.”

Students will work alongside other volunteers and Habitat homeowners to build simple, decent and affordable Habitat for Humanity houses. The Mount Marty students will be traveling to Bryan, Texas, to assist the local college chapter Habitat for Humanity group as they begin their project of constructing a new home.

“While many of their peers are relaxing, these students are putting hundreds of hours of hard work during Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge,” said Alynn Woodson, Associate Director of Habitat’s Youth Programs department. “By the end of the week, not only have the students learned how to build a house, they’ve also seen how their actions can help improve people’s lives by providing save, affordable shelter through a Habitat for Humanity home.”

Mount Marty students attending the trip include Joey Stahl (Onida, S.D.), Jordan Foos (Scotland, S.D.), Julia Matthys (Elk Point, S.D.), Emily Shaffer (Gregory, S.D.), Brittany Sehr (Larchwood, Iowa), Gina Emanuel (Schuyler, Neb.), Bethany Bakker (Marshall, Minn.), Kara Marks (Pierre, S.D.), Ashley Pinkelman (Fordyce, Neb.), Briana Fiegen (Dell Rapids, S.D.), and Samie Maday (Cushing, Iowa). Supervising the group is Brother David McGinnis, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at Mount Marty. Students will leave for the trip Saturday, March 1 and will return March 9.

More than 12,000 students have signed up to help build homes in 210 locations as part of this year’s Collegiate Challenge program. They program offers high school and college-aged students year-round opportunities to use their vacations to serve a community by volunteering to build homes.

Throughout its 19-year history, more than 155,000 students have traveled to build Habitat houses through Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge program. During this time, students raised more than $14.6 million to pay for construction. This year alone, Collegiate Challenge students will contribute $1.5 million to help build houses.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built more than 250,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1 million people. For more information, visit www.habitat.org.

Photo Opportunity:

A blessing ceremony will be held for the student service groups at on Thursday, February 28. At 5:00 is a photo opportunity to take pictures of the students going to Texas, Mississippi, and an Indian Reservation as part of their service trips. The media is invited to take photos at 5:00 that evening and stay for the blessing ceremony that follows at 5:15.

Mount Marty College
Department of Sports Information
Andy Bernatow, SID
1105 West 8th Street
Yankton, SD 57078
(605) 668-1601
abernatow@mtmc.edu