Defiance College students spend spring break on Habitat for Humanity project
April 19, 2018
Pictured left to right, front row: Jonathan, Habitat site manager; Robyn Boyd, McKenzie
Baker (kneeling), Tara Lymanstall, Kiana Carpenter and Raychel Ramos; back row, Judy
Lymanstall, Morgan Laveglia and Katarina Wicher. Not pictured is Julie Godfrey.
DEFIANCE, Ohio - Instead of heading out on a typical spring break, seven Defiance College students put on work boots and tool belts and headed to High Point, N.C., where they spent their break on four Habitat for Humanity construction builds.
This year’s participants included McKenzie Baker, Bellville, Ohio; Robyn Boyd, Jamaica; Kiana Carpenter, Holmesville, Ohio; Morgan Laveglia, Arcadia, Ohio; Tara Lymanstall, Defiance, Ohio; Raychel Ramos, Wauseon, Ohio; and Katarina Wicher, Toledo. They were accompanied by DC staff members Judy Lymanstall and Julie Godfrey.
The Defiance crew worked on four houses throughout the week. Their tasks included trenching around foundations, filling trenches with stone, backfilling, painting, ground leveling, installation of siding, and installing a wood laminate floor. The team reportedly set a record installing the wood laminate in several rooms and closets in a single day.
DC students have been part of Habitat for Humanity for more than 20 years.
“They gave up time to relax with friends and family for a week of sweat and hard work in service to others,” said Judy Lymanstall. During these builds, students work side by side with various volunteers to help make a family’s dream of owning a home a reality. Students come away with a sense of accomplishment, new friends, newly learned construction skills, and knowing that they have helped a family get a little closer to their dream.
Habitat for Humanity does not provide funding for travel, but it does assist in arranging for overnight accommodations. Students are traditionally housed in local churches. The cost of food, job site insurance, and Collegiate Challenge affiliate fees, rests solely upon students and fundraising efforts.
DC students raised funds this year through a variety of endeavors including a letter campaign to area construction companies and a Sunday brunch at St. John United Church of Christ in Defiance.
Sponsors who helped defray expenses included St. John UCC congregation, Meijer, 5 Angle Construction, Hi-Tech Foundations - Riehle Construction, Spyker Contracting, and St. John UCC Women’s Guild, WalMart, and Higbea Embroidery.
Anyone who would like to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity on a local build can contact the Defiance Habitat office at 419-782-2172 to add their name to the volunteer list.
Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.
