Hi, everyone! My name is Kayla DiMeo and this was my first-ever HFH Spring Break trip. I’d first like to say how much I enjoyed going on this trip. A week before the trip, my dad was having some medical issues and I wasn’t sure if I was going to come. I decided that it would be best for me if I went, just so I could get my mind off of things. I didn’t really know anyone before this trip, besides my three friends that were going. I was so scared to spend a week with strangers because I wasn’t sure how we would get along. I make friends fairly easily so I knew I’d be okay. What I didn’t know was how the week was going to form bonds that I hope last forever.

Friday night’s circle time really showed me that I have had a positive impact on some people and I hope they know that they have done the same for me. On Friday we finished up at the house we had been assigned to all week. I am proud of everyone, especially my little crew for working so hard on every project assigned to us. Even if some of the projects didn’t get finished, we made a huge dent, figuratively of course, and I am proud of everything that was accomplished.

When we went back to the community center, the other group of students from New York was already gone and although we didn’t really interact with them from day one, I was sort of glad that they weren’t there because I think that it was important for us to be together on our last day without any distraction.

The pasta dinner we had was amazing (thanks to the Friday dinner group)! After dinner, we played games and bonded for one last night. Once circle time came around, we did an activity called “Touch Someone Who…” that was a perfect end to the week. We anonymously went around and chose people who fit the question asked, for example “Touch someone who made your week better”. I feel like this activity was a good end to the week because spending a week with the same people can be overwhelming and all kinds of feelings can be thrown around, especially with as many people as we had. Knowing that you had some kind of positive impact on someone despite the week you had or despite the feelings you may have had at any time during the week makes you feel good inside. I know I did. There are many bonds and friendships that I have made this past week that I hope will last forever. You learn a lot but I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned over this trip is that you’re never alone and someone always knows what you’re going through and has been in your shoes at one point or another.

Saturday morning was bittersweet. We packed to go home and we weren’t going to have to take cold showers anymore (yay!), but the week we just spent getting to know each other was over and we had to head back to reality. The drive was long but the scenery was beautiful and we even got to stop for lunch at Bojangles, which was cool because we don’t have any around here.

It was sad having to say goodbye to everyone when we got back to campus, but it was nice to be home. I’m so excited to see what the future has in store for the friendships and bonds that have been made and I cannot wait until next spring break when we can do this all over again! Thank you to everyone for making this spring break the best I’ve ever experienced and thank you for making me feel welcomed and like I belonged, on my first Habitat for Humanity Spring Break trip!

Hi everyone! This is Taylor, the campus chapter president. This week has been amazing so far. We have all really came along as a group. Today was the second to last day that we will be in Avery County. Many people on this trip have made new friends and have improved their building skills. All of us are enjoying ourselves and are sad to see the week end.

Today we continued the tasks that we have been working on throughout the week. The first thing that we did this morning was carry in a load of drywall that was delivered by Lowe’s. I am glad that there were 25 of us, because there was a lot of drywall! We had an assembly line to get it all inside the house.

Everyone was enthusiastic today to finish the projects that they started in the beginning of the week. One of the projects we started today was hanging drywall on the ceiling. I was in the group that was working on this project, and it was nice to see my group willing to try new things and learn how drywall works. All the other groups had a system to get things done and it showed because everyone accomplished a lot today. Everyone had great attitudes and continued to work hard throughout the day.

Once we were done working for the day, we all went back to the community center to relax. Some people took naps and others went back to the games that we play every night. Our dinner group for the night made soup and salad, and we got pizza from a local bakery, Smoky Mountain Bakers. It was delicious! Everyone continues to further their relationships, and we are all excited and sad for our last day of work tomorrow, but we will continue to get as much work done as we can.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us and has been following our journey along the way.

Taylor Mayhue

HFH Campus Chapter President

Hello, everyone. This is Brian Root, the campus chapter advisor. I am having the pleasure of joining this fantastic group of students here in Avery County. Today marked the halfway point of our trip to Avery County. I’ve witnessed students come out of their comfort zones, accomplish goals, learn new skills on the work site, use power tools they had never used before, and have the kind of fun they never thought would happen on this trip.

Today, we spent the morning on the work site finishing up several tasks we’ve been working on the first few days. And then, we spent the afternoon at Grandfather Mountain, where we hiked and explored this wonderful, local state park. One of the highlights of the visit to Grandfather Mountain was crossing the mile-high swinging bridge.  Personally, I loved our afternoon spent there. The students loved it, too. It provided all of us a chance to spend stress-free time with one another in a beautiful place. Many of us made souvenir purchases at the Grandfather Mountain gift store.

A local church, Heaton Christian Church, hosted a dinner for us this evening. It gave the group a night off from having to prepare their own dinner. We were treated with southern hospitality that we’ve all come to expect at this point. Thank you to the church for a great dinner!

Each night at 9:30 p.m., our group circles up to reflect on the day. On Monday, we shared highs & lows of the day. On Tuesday, we participated in an activity called “Crossing the Line”. Tonight’s reflection brought the group closer together, as there were many tears shed and hugs afterwards. It’s important to us that we ask the group to reflect on the role that others have played in their lives when it comes to inspiring or helping them in some way. When students share those moments or people, they are often emotional when doing so. Tonight was no different.

Earlier in the week, we met the future homeowner of the home that we are working on. She is a disabled veteran and cancer survivor. In a short 5-minute interaction, we all developed a new appreciation and new reason for doing the work we are doing this week.

Things are going so well so far. Thank you all for caring to follow along on our weeklong journey. And thank you to those of you who helped make this trip financially possible.

Hello everyone!

This is Mya and Cheyeanne. This is both of our first times on the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break trip and although it’s only Tuesday, we can easily say that it has been such a fun experience so far!

Today was our second day of work at our building site. There were so many different building projects going on and we got so much accomplished. We had a smaller team up on the scaffolding on the side of the house continuing to work to finish the siding on one side of the house. We had a larger team inside the house continuing to install the insulation and begin plumbing work. We had another team under the house in the basement working on the air filtration system. We had two people up on the roof continuing to install snow guards. We also had a smaller team working under the roof of the car port to install trim pieces along the outside of the ceiling.

In the mix of all of this, we had several groups of people helping with measurements, cutting, and stabilizing. Everything seemed to run so smoothly. Overall, it was a very productive day for everyone. We all did an excellent job working as a team and communicating well. We are eager to get back to work tomorrow after some much-needed rest and relaxation after a day of hard work.

Stay tuned for an update on Wednesday’s adventures!

Hello, everyone! My name is Marie Citrano and I am a junior Criminal Justice major who is experiencing her first time ever on a Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge trip.

Yesterday was our first day on the work site and it was an interesting experience!

Growing up, I took woodshop classes in high school, so I felt completely comfortable building things – using saws, hammers, squares, etc. At least that’s what I thought I would be doing. However, today on the work site, I experienced my first time up on scaffolding where Sam, Melissa, Quoc, and myself measured and nailed in siding for the house. This was terrifying at first - knowing that I was walking on a 2x8 was very nerve-wracking, but I just concentrated on what the task at hand was to take my mind off that and had support from the others that were up there with me and from everyone else that was on the ground. After an hour or two of this, the insulation material arrived and a few of us switched to work inside to warm up a bit before we called it quits for the day.

Despite this only being the first day on the work site, I learned so many new things, such as how to install siding, climb scaffolding, and install insulation. This was a truly awesome learning experience – I learned much more and felt more rewarded than any woodshop class can make me feel. I’m looking forward to what tomorrow holds for all of us, to learn more from those who have been on Habitat trips before, and to continue to make new connections throughout the rest of this week.

Marie Citrano, student First-time attendee

On behalf of the Pitt-Greensburg Habitat for Humanity campus chapter, we would like to thank you for donating to our group and helping us reach our goal as we prepare for our spring break trip to Avery County, North Carolina.

We will be heading out on our journey this Friday. While we still do not know exactly what type of work we will be doing each day, our days will typically run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. As a group, we will be staying in a community center provided by the host affiliate. This will give us a chance to bond and form relationships that we would like to share with you.

Throughout our trip, we will be providing daily updates about our experiences as well as the progress we are making. Those updates will be posted to this page, so please stay tuned! Thank you again for your generosity. This trip would not be possible without your support!

Tyler Massar, Student Trip Leader

Taylor Mayhue, Campus Chapter President