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Published on March 23, 2022
Twelve members of Eastern Connecticut State University’s student chapter of Habitat for Humanity and advisor Peter Bachiochi recently traveled to New Bern, NC, to help build houses with the Habitat for Humanity of Craven County.
During the week-long spring break, the Habitat for Humanity members assisted in builds and explored the area of New Bern. Along with building new houses, the group repaired homes damaged by Hurricane Florence in 2018 and worked at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, where they helped organize donations.
“This trip has been an amazing experience,” said Reece Ketchum, a member of Eastern’s Habitat club. “I went into this having practically no hands-on experience with any power tools and no other construction skills beside the siding and caulking that I did prior to the trip. My favorite skill I learned was roofing and I enjoyed seeing the entire process of how that is done.”
Students were able to learn and improve on a number of building skills, including how to cut and nail down Tyvek, a synthetic fiber product used to block moisture from getting inside walls, replacing flooring, and installing dry wall.
Eastern’s Habitat for Humanity club spends the year working toward its annual spring break trip, hosting fundraisers like Shackathon to reduce the costs for individual members. These fundraisers, paired with Habitat builds in Willimantic, such as their current work on Serwan Avenue, keep the club members busy and involved in the community.
Written by Molly Boucher