It’s Spring recess at WVU Tech, and while the familiar buzz of student activity may have died down on campus this week, the buzz of sawing an hour west of Montgomery shows students still hard at work.
At a Habitat for Humanity renovation in Hurricane, West Virginia, students are spending the break hanging siding, painting, mending fences and building porches. For students like WVU Tech chemical engineering major Kevin Arguello the opportunity to give back to the community is a worthwhile way to spend some time off.
“We’re helping out with whatever is needed here and it is definitely worth sacrificing some spring break time to help those in need,” he said.
The students are at the site from Tuesday until Saturday, working from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The house, which was donated by a local bank, is expected to be completed in the coming weeks and will house a family of four. Habitat representatives welcome the help as they get the place in shape for its new owners.
“I think it’s exceptional to have these young folks here to help with the renovation. Getting volunteers who roll up their sleeves and get to work is how we’re able to make these projects happen,” said Tiny Hanshaw, Construction Supervisor at Habitat for Humanity’s Kanawha and Putnam County affiliate. “We’re glad to have them here this week and hopefully we can teach them a thing or two in the process.”
WVU Tech Resident Director Michael Sheldon said that he was impressed with volunteer turnout and that, despite a week’s worth of hard work on their schedule, the students are having fun.
“It’s great to have students who are willing to take time out of their break to volunteer, especially since this is the first year we have done this,” he said.
The project’s student participants included Jerry Ortega, Kevin Arguello, Jason Brown, Ryan Boffill, Jackie Galloway, Mark Gomez and Brendon Rankou.
To find out more about Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam County, please visit www.hfhkp.org.
Photos from the Habitat Build can be found on the WVU Tech Flickr page at http://wvute.ch/1fs4qDE.