IWU and ISU Team-Up For Habitat for Humanity Groundbreaking

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – On Saturday, September 7, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the eighth house built by both Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University chapters of Habitat for Humanity. Preliminary work for the newest home will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday with the official groundbreaking ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon.

Each year since 1995, the Illinois Wesleyan chapter has worked alongside Illinois State’s chapter of Habitat to build a home in a special Habitat for Humanity sub-division called Humanity Lane. The latest home, the seventh on Humanity Lane, will be the last built in the sub-division. The Illinois Wesleyan chapter of Habitat for Humanity began in 1990 and has more than 30 active members volunteering throughout the Bloomington/Normal area.

First started in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 125,000 homes in more than 80 countries. College and university involvement in the not-for-profit organization, began in 1987 at Baylor University. Since the inception of Baylor’s inaugural chapter, over 700 chapters of the organization have sprung up at universities and high schools across the country.

As Habitat for Humanity is a Christian organization, the groundbreaking ceremony will include a prayer of blessing on the home being built, a prayer for those who will be living in the home once it is finished, and a prayer for the safety of those who will be building the home.

Since Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization, supplies for the building of homes must come from the help of local businesses and private donations. Many supplies come from independent contracting companies. IWU’s chapter also holds fundraisers throughout the year. The group has car washes, holiday candy and card sales and a silent auction to raise money for their philanthropic club.

For more information contact Molly Marker, the president of IWU’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity at 309/ 556-2917.