Every few weeks, a group of about 20 people have been getting together to work on a project that will achieve much more than any individual could alone. They might only get some painting, drywall or insulation done on a given day, but each job done by each person means the coming completion of a new house.
The newest addition to the Ball State Chapter of Habitat for Humanity is Benny's Builders, a group comprised mostly of faculty and their spouses. While there has been a student organization for over a decade, Benny's Builders only began this summer. There was a kickoff meeting April 24, and since then, the group has been working on local projects and raising money for a house of their own.
Habitat for Humanity International was started in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, a couple who had worked on partnership houses. Partnership houses were built by volunteers for families in need of decent housing. This concept was the basis for Habitat. It was headquartered in Americus, Ga., but it took two years until Americus built its first Habitat house. After that, the organization grew rapidly. Campus Chapters were introduced in 1987, and today, according to the official Habitat for Humanity International Web site (www.habitat.org), "Habitat has built more than 150,000 houses around the world, providing more than 750,000 people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter."
Locally, there is a Greater Muncie Chapter that has been operating since 1986 and is hoping to finish six new houses this year, raising their total to 50 houses. One of the largest achievements of the Ball State Habitat has been the Blood and Fire House, a center of religious and community involvement for students and Muncie residents.
"We currently do all of our workdays with other chapters. Most frequently, we work with Muncie Habitat. We have also taken spring break trips to work with other chapters of Habitat for Humanity, such as the Sandtown Neighborhood Chapter of Habitat for Humanity in Baltimore, Maryland," Habitat volunteer Angela Gidley said. The student organization did, however, build a house on its own a few years ago.
Benny's Builders was started by a small group of faculty who felt that Ball State should sponsor an entire house and become more active in Habitat. It was headed up by University Computing Services (UCS) employees Todd Phelps and Fred Nay.
The main goal of the organization is to raise the $50,000 needed to sponsor a house in Ball State's name. About $8,000 has been raised by Ball State employees and Allstate donated $20,000 toward the project. In the meantime, Benny's Builders needs to demonstrate that they have volunteers to actually build the house. They have been doing this by working on the Muncie Habitat's most recent project on N. Elgin Street.
Most of the volunteers have come from the UCS, Ball State libraries, bursar office and student affairs, but individuals from all over the campus have been donating time and money to the organization.
"It's mostly by word of mouth; people hear about it and say, 'Hey, I'd like to be part of that.' Then more people get involved and they volunteer their time when they can," Phelps said.
Anyone interested in getting involved or learning more about Habitat for Humanity at Ball State can go to the student Web site at www.bsu.edu/web/habitat or the Benny's Builders Web site at www.bsu.edu/webapps/habitat.
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