Club Corner: Habitat 4 Humanity
October 14, 2015
While community service takes on many forms, the club Habitat for Humanity reshapes the term. Focused mainly on providing housing for the less fortunate, the club reaches out to the community to help support families, build houses, and understand the struggles that homeless people face on a daily basis.
“Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that helps provide housing for people who are financially incapable,” co-president senior Peggy Hsieh said via Facebook. “It’s also a great opportunity to experience how construction works.”
DBHS’s Habitat for Humanity allows volunteers and workers to build projects in areas located around Walnut, Brea, and La Verne in order to benefit the communities.
With proper adult supervision, the organization allows high schoolers to restore, refurbish, and even build shelters.
“My goal for the club is to see it become more major and [allow] more members to bring awareness. [Homeless] people are struggling for basic necessities right next door and if people realize this, it can change a lot of people’s views on life and make them appreciate basic things more,” secretary junior Joshua Pei said.
Aside from the building and refurbishing of houses, the club also participates in a wider spectrum of activities.
One of the more popular events includes Shanty Town, a day where high school students experience the lifestyle of a homeless person. The volunteers spend the night sleeping in cardboard boxes outside the University of La Verne and are limited to a few number of necessities, realizing the hardships and difficulties that homeless people live with.
“Our goal is not only to build houses but also to raise awareness for the severity of improper housing and homelessness,” Hsieh said. “Hopefully our club will encourage people to be more sympathetic and active towards helping society.”
Along with the organization’s hands-on experiences, it also fundraises on and off campus in order to donate money to either the Pomona Valley Branch or the main organization.
“I hope to inspire other high school students to give back to the community and help other people that don’t receive the same luxuries and opportunities as us,” co-president senior Alina Chen said.
