Greater Plainfield Habitat for Humanity

High school senior Tyler Varian is on a mission - to engage his fellow students and teachers with the work of Habitat for Humanity in Plainfield.

Advised by teacher, Trish Ianuzzi, weekly after-school meetings are attracting up to 50 students in this campus club.

The purpose of this club is to work with the Habitat for Humanity to build houses that are both energy efficient and affordable for families in need.  In this way, they plan to give back to our community and better our world. 

Recognizing that Habitat for Humanity is fueled by monetary donations, along with volunteer work, this is where they see their purpose.  

The process of building a house for a family in need is a communal effort. Habitat for Humanity does not give away houses by any means; everyone works together, including and especially the family receiving the house.  In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments for the remaining balance on the house, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor (sweat equity) into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.  We work alongside the families we are building the homes for, removing the labor costs and helping them out in more ways than one.

The plans for the club are simple: we will provide "volunteer labor" and hold fundraisers to raise money for the family's housing costs.  They will have scheduled "build times" where we will travel to nearby build sites and work on constructing and finishing the homes.

For those students at Westfield High School who like building or if those simply who want a fun and rewarding way to give back, this is the club for you. 

Tyler has build a new website to mobilize his school - www.whshabitat.com.  On it there is an online forum which is currently collecting fundraising ideas.