Today’s post will bring this year’s project to a close. We successfully completed our 19th annual Collegiate Challenge spring break trip, returning home Sunday afternoon. We accomplished a lot, and I am so proud of the group of students and alumni that travelled with me last week.  

We spent 8 days and nights together, driving over 1,500 miles round trip. We worked at a Habitat ReStore on Monday, built door and window frames for new construction on Tuesday, and revitalized a community garden on Thursday & Friday. We supported numerous local businesses (especially the coffee shops). We watched the sun rise together. We visited Myrtle Beach, played sand volleyball, swam in the ocean, and bought souvenirs together. We took hundreds and hundreds of photos together. We laughed and cried together and shared some of our deepest thoughts with one another during our nightly “Circle Time”.

There are so many people to thank for making this year’s trip happen. It really does take a Village to pull off a trip like this.

• At the top of this list are the group of student leaders who facilitated meaningful conversations and led the way prior to and during the trip. Of special note – trip leader Jaden Myers and President Maddie Wysocki. They are pretty much rock stars and navigated us through a weeklong series of projects, outings, meals, and group activities. They are leaving big shoes to fill after graduating next month. The rest of our exec board – Lauryn, Maura, Sarah, Ceili and Luffy – were the perfect support cast to Jaden & Maddie.
• Our hosts and friends at Habitat for Humanity of Georgetown, SC made us feel right at home from the very beginning. They showered us with love and allowed us to become part of the Georgetown community for a week. So many churches and volunteers contributed to our experience, and we are also appreciative of them. I want to give a special thanks for the Georgetown Presbyterian Church for allowing us to stay in their Youth Center for the week. It was the perfect spot for us to plant our air mattresses for the week.
• Alumni Quoc Vo, Scott Szypulski & John Kerlicker. These three joined our group for the week, putting their lives on hold so they could help drive our students to and from South Carolina. They were so much more than drivers, though. They were part of our family for the week and made such a positive impact on the students who attended. I could never chaperone this trip alone without the support of amazing alumni and friends like these three guys.
• Our Student Government contributes a substantial amount of money each year to allow us to travel. Without their financial support, this trip would easily cost each of our students $500 out of pocket. Instead, students pay only $200 out of pocket to attend.
• Our EngagePitt crowdfunder supporters collectively helped us bring in over $4,000. There are so many Habitat alumni, faculty, staff, and family & friends who pledged their financial support. Your donations feed us and fuel our 12-passenger vans, among other things. To put it into perspective, our fuel costs this year for the two vans were over $750 alone. 

To the students who joined us for their final trip – because of graduation or for other reasons – I hope you will continue leading a life that benefits others. I’m proud of all of you!

Hello, this is Sarah Soltys!

With this being my first-ever Habitat for Humanity Spring Break trip, I was going into this week with a few feelings of apprehension and wariness. However, I quickly realized that the community of Habitat for Humanity and the tasks given throughout the day on the worksite were exactly the positive push I needed to become the version of myself I have always yearned for. Throughout the week, I gained numerous new skills that I never could have imagined I would be able to do prior to coming on the trip. That is something I will forever be grateful for. 

On Thursday, we were assigned by our host affiliate to work in the local community garden. When we arrived, we were greeted by the coordinator of what was soon to become a beautiful garden where local individuals can spend time and harvest vegetables. Of course, there were many steps to overcome before seeing the final product. We were given a quick rundown of what needed to be done, and my eager club members and I went straight to work. One of these steps included shoveling dirt into wheelbarrows and distributing the dirt throughout the garden to help level out the flower beds and fill in large holes. Another task included filling in a flooded area in the back of the garden with lots of rocks and dirt. Thursday was a particularly hot and sunny day, and the work was fatiguing at times, but that did not stop us from working to the best of our abilities. The continued encouragement and determination of our group was inspiring to see, and amazing to be a part of. 

Throughout the day, the coordinator's young nephew was putting a smile on everyone's faces and shared many special moments with some of us. For me personally, seeing the pure enjoyment on this young boy's face and his contagious playful energy was exactly what I needed to remember how much of an impact we were making, and I know I am one of numerous volunteers to feel this way. 

Around noon, we took a lunch break for pizza at the local church, and we were happily accompanied by other groups of students from different schools who were also participating with the affiliate this week. After lunch, we continued our work in the garden.

On Friday, we were originally assigned to help out with city cleanup. However, we ended up being asked to come back to the community garden. So we were able to finish what we started on Thursday. Although this was a last-minute change of course and muscles were sore from the previous day, I was impressed with our school's ability to acclimate with no hesitation. On this day, we were also working simultaneously with another school. This provided us with many more helping hands and smiling faces, which was very appreciated. 

Friday was a short workday, and we headed to a celebratory picnic provided to us by the affiliate. Here, we again had the opportunity to engage with the other schools. This picnic included delicious southern-style food, cornhole, heartfelt speeches, and a positive environment to bond and debrief from the busy work week. This picnic was a great way to end our week here in Georgetown, SC, and provided us with one last opportunity to take pictures, meet new friends, and enjoy each other's company. 

Overall, this Georgetown, SC Habitat for Humanity trip was full of new experiences, unforgettable memories, and of course, new builds that will change the lives of many. 

Update from sophomore Ceili Schiller:

As one of the students attending the trip, I have continued to be delighted by the adventure and activities that each day brings! Over the last two days, we have explored Georgetown, SC including trying a local coffee shop, Beanz, near the church where we are staying before starting our day of work on Tuesday. A small group left early in the morning to walk to the coffee shop before heading to our job site for the day, energizing ourselves for the first hot and sunny day of the week.

On Tuesday, our host affiliate had us working on a new construction build. We were greeted by the builders and volunteer staff, and they walked us through the types of framing we would be building for the day and showed us the blueprint for the house we would be working on. Since the property where the house was still being cleared to prep for construction, we did these framing projects in the parking lot of the HFH administration office building.

Our day consisted mostly of using hammers, nails and a radial saw to start making door frames, window frames, and other structural necessary pieces of the house. My group specifically started the day by aligning and stacking lumber together hammering in nails at an angle. We have a wide range of students who have done work like this before, and others who got to take their first try at a new experience. We continued to lift each other up throughout the day, encouraging one another to try new tasks and help one another. By the end of the day, we successfully worked through three different stations of framing, and all came together to sign the first official window frame for the new build.

The next day, Wednesday, our affiliate gave us a day off to explore Myrtle Beach and other attractions in the area. One of our members suggested starting the day by heading to the bay to watch the sunrise. A brave group of us woke up at 6 a.m. and hit the road to be on the beach by 6:30 a.m. Over the next hour we watched the colors of the sky change and then headed to Front Street to try another local coffee shop. As we headed closer to Myrtle Beach for the day, we stopped at our big attraction! For an hour and a half, we headed out on a dolphin cruise where we watched pods of dolphins swim and jump around our boat, learning more about them from the Captain. Afterwards, we enjoyed the picnic we packed in a nearby seating area.

We then headed to the beach where many of us played volleyball, roamed the boardwalk, and swam in the very old ocean. Lastly, we ended our day by trying a classic southern fast-food place, Cookout. 

We work in a community garden tomorrow (Thursday), and it's predicted to be a hot and sunny day once again.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported this year’s trip. The annual Habitat for Humanity spring break trip is always the highlight of my year, and I’m happy that so many of you supported this year’s trip.  The cost of feeding, transporting, and lodging a large group of college students is increasing every year, and a successful crowdfunder is becoming more and more important to our group each year. I’m happy to report that there are 20 of us on this year’s trip – including three alumni, myself, and 16 students.

We successfully arrived in Georgetown, SC on Sunday afternoon with plenty enough time to explore town and begin to get to know one another. We’re staying in a building next to the Georgetown Presbyterian Church. Most of us are sleeping on air mattresses or cots.

Yesterday (Monday), we were welcomed to town by the local affiliate with a breakfast and brief overview of the week. We’re one of four colleges here in town for the week assisting the local HFH affiliate. After breakfast, we all headed to the Georgetown ReStore to spend the day doing projects around the store. Local ReStores are comparable to Goodwill stores and are a major funding source for Habitat affiliates. Community members donate items to the store that are sold to help bring in money for HFH homes.

As I type this, we’re getting ready to leave for day two. Today, we are set to work on a new construction project, and I think everyone is excited to pick up a hammer and get to work. Stay tuned. We’ll have a few more updates this week! Photos and videos are coming soon!