Shack-A-Thon
Tuesday, November 19th-Wednesday, November 20th
– The wind blew, sending a chill down the backs of ECSU college students as
they made their way quickly to class. It was a high of 47 degrees during the
day and a low of 31 degrees once the sun disappeared in the evening. Still,
Habitat for Humanity Club members embraced the cold as they made their way to
the center of Webb Lawn, carting large cardboard boxes behind them. There they
started creating what would become their home for the next 30 straight hours,
only going inside for class and to use the restroom.
The Shack-A-Thon is an event run by Habitat for Humanity in
order to raise awareness for sub standardized housing. Members got to
experience what it is like to live like a person who is unable to afford a
place to call “home.” Club members had to raise $100 in order to participate.
Freshmen Habitat for Humanity members, Sam Walter, Kaley K.
and Alex Hoffman and Sophomore, Kevin Powel, participated in this event for the
first time. They collected their boxes at noon on Tuesday and had already been
outside for nearly seven hours. They mentioned how “blessed they were to have a
dorm with heat.” They also said that this experience really made them
appreciate all the little things that they had so often taken for granted in
the past such as their backpacks, sleeping bags and even their name brand
clothing. Despite everything they had with them for this event, they were still
cold and this made them think about what it must be like for people who do not
even have a warm coat or gloves.
Eastern students and staff were encouraged to donate money
or they could also make a donation in food for the Shack-A-Thon participants to
eat. For every donation that was made during those 30 hours, the contributor
could nail a paper brick to a plywood cutout of a house.
In the end, the ECSU Habitat for Humanity club was able to
collect a total of $1,750. The participants were able to persevere through
freezing temperatures and wind capable of blowing their structures away in
order to support a great cause.
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