Penn State Habitat For Humanity
To Particiate In Spring Break Collegiate Challenge
March 5, 2003

University Park, Pa. –Jay Peffer didn't have anything to do for his spring break in 2000, so he let his friends convince him to go along with them on a Habitat for Humanity trip. Three years later, this student is co-director for the Penn State chapter's spring break Collegiate Challenge.

            Each year, Habitat for Humanity International challenges students nationwide to the Collegiate Challenge, where students work alongside the organization during their spring breaks. This spring break (March 10-14), the Penn State chapter is sending eight groups of students, 122 students total, to southern destinations, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and South Carolina towns. There, Penn Staters - some with no construction experience - will take part in house-building activities such as framing, roofing, siding, and shingling, all in an effort to help those less fortunate than them.

            By doing something constructive, the organization dedicates itself to eliminating poverty housing in the belief that every person should have a simple, decent place to live.  

"There is nothing like the feeling you get from doing something like this," Peffer said. "It is something not easily described by words, when you get to work with future homeowners. You talk to them and realize you're not just putting up a house. You're building a home people will be grateful for the rest of their lives."

**aek**

Contact: Allison Kessler, Department of Public Information, (814) 865-7517 or akessler@psu.edu.