Schoolchildren and Educators Build Houses and Hope

The 125th house built by Flower City Habitat for Humanity on Fulton Ave. in Rochester was made possible with the help of schoolchildren from throughout Monroe County, and represented our second and final "School HouseBuild."! Click here for news and stories in our construction diary.

Thousands of school-aged youth and their teachers joined Habitat to sponsor the construction of the Fulton Ave. home, in partnership with volunteers and families. The project raises awareness of the need for decent, affordable housing and the importance of home ownership for low-income families. Students participated in fundraising, classroom projects, and activities related to housing and homelessness. Teachers, high school seniors, and other members of the school community were thrilled for the opportunity to perform hands-on construction work. Click here for a list of participants.

Field trips to the construction site wre conducted for those too young to build, and teachers used the School HouseBuild project as a springboard for a variety of learning opportunities:

• classroom activities in math and social studies
• encouraging creative expression
• building an understanding of good citizenship and the importance of volunteering

Builder Bear supervises the work, as Harris Hill Elementary School students build birdhouses to benefit the School HouseBuild. More...

The cost of constructing a simple, three-bedroom home in 2003 was $65,000. Many clases chose to include fundraising in their involvement with the project. Some students conducted penny drives, collected "Quarters for Quarters," or held rummage and bake sales. Students made and sold hats, made videos on housing and homelessness, and held talent shows. Click here to learn how different schools participated.

School HouseBuild volunteer and retired teacher Meredith Reiniger visited schools that held fundraising projects. She presented each school with a framed copy of artist Yasmin Jung's poster ommemorating the project. These presentations gave students another chance to reflect on their contribution to an important community project, and on the life of a family that they had touched. The posters will hang in the schools as a visible reminder of their link to the work of Habitat for Humanity in their community.

2000 School House: Our 100th House!

In 2000, FCHHt celebrated completion of its 100th house.

Funded by the students of Monroe County, the first School HouseBuild was completed 16 years after our very first building project.

Students and teachers at 70 schools throughout the city of Rochester and suburbs raised $45,000. Guided by their teachers, students explored fundraising options that, in addition to raising money, would be something their classmates would enjoy. And their teachers worked to make the effort an opportunity for students to hone their skills in math, social studies, creative expression and other areas.

"It's not just about raising money," executive director Arthur Woodward told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. "It's really about raising awareness and consciousness -- about Habitat, about what we do, about life in the city, about home ownership."