Students, Faculty and Staff Donate Time To Habitat For Humanity

Two students cut insulation during NSU Volunteer Day with Habitat for Humanity.

Sophomore Taryn Hewitt, of Tahlequah, and freshman Ross Loney, of Tulsa, cut insulation during NSU Volunteer Day with Habitat for Humanity. Several NSU students, faculty and staff volunteered to work on the house, located west of Tahlequah, to make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a day of service.

TAHLEQUAH Despite the chilly temperature and gusty winds of January, several Northeastern State University students, faculty and staff braved the cold for a good cause on Monday building a house with Habitat for Humanity.

NSU Volunteer Day with Habitat for Humanity was a day of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

I do volunteer work as part of my scholarship requirements, said Taryn Hewitt, a sophomore from Tahlequah. I chose to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity because it was something different than what I normally do and its a good cause.

Hewitt and Ross Loney, a freshman from Tulsa, spent the day placing insulation in the crawl space under the house, located about four miles west of Tahlequah.

Being out in the fresh air is great, said Loney. This is definitely something your don't normally do in college. Its a lot of manual labor, but the outcome is worth it.

Volunteers from NSU worked side-by-side with Habitat for Humanity volunteers and the homeowners on various aspects of the house, including insulations, interior walls and a building the foundation of a porch.

We had several students and staff members show up this morning to help, said Dr. Craig Clifford, NSU professor of Biology and co-chair of the Tahlequah Area Habitat For Humanity Building Committee, as worked to level a board on the porch area of the house. We have gotten a lot accomplished.

With high spirits despite the low temperature, Hewitt and Loney both looked on the day as a character building experience.

Putting the insulation in was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, said Hewitt.

And its a skill we can add to our resumes, Loney said.

1/20/2009

Published: 2009-01-20 00:00:00