[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/habitat-humanity01.jpg” caption=”McMaster students after a long day on the Habitat for Humanity build site. Photo credit: Whitney Smith”]Just a couple of weeks ago, I boarded a bus with 25 other McMaster students and headed down to sunny, sunny South Carolina for reading week. The next seven days promised to be filled with fun, friends and lots of physical labour.

Typically, reading week is reserved for sleeping, meeting old friends or vacationing in the sun. But for us, the week was devoted to building affordable housing for Sea Island Habitat for Humanity in Charleston, South Carolina.

“Habitat's mission statement is 'A hand up, not a hand out',” says McMaster Habitat for Humanity president, Sara Bond. The mission is founded on the belief that low-income families simply need a little boost to secure adequate housing.

To achieve this, families must contribute 500 hours of 'sweat equity' to the building of their new home. Once it is built, they are still responsible for paying for the house through an interest free mortgage. To maintain affordability, Habitat homes depend on the help of volunteers who donate their time to labour intensive construction projects. This is where we came in.

Every year, Habitat's Collegiate Challenge invites university students across the United States to dedicate their spring break to this worthy cause. McMaster University is still the only Canadian school to send students south of the boarder to participate.

For many students, university has opened their eyes to the poverty and hardships of the world. The enormity of it all can be overwhelming and it becomes difficult to see how one person can make a difference. Taking a hands-on approach to helping others produces concrete results that demonstrate just how important one single person can be.

Dawn Cannon, Karen Weiser and Whitney Smith preparing to pour the foundation for a new home.

During the week in South Carolina, our group helped re-shingle someone's roof, replace someone's driveway, build a new deck, and break ground for a new home. These are tangible accomplishments that signify our ability to improve the world, one little bit at a time.

Habitat's positive impact on the community is clear. But the reading week trip also held an aspect of inner reflection and growth for many of us.

Vasiliki Bednar, second-year arts & science student, was one of the participants in this year's Habitat trip. “I wanted to immerse myself in thinking about others. Too much emphasis is placed on the self at university and that is very unhealthy,” she says. “Other people should get involved to challenge themselves, their perceptions, and perhaps even their entire world view.”

“You really get a sense of what is truly important in the world,” says Whitney Smith, a second-year health science student who helped organize the trip. “We should never get wrapped up in materialistic things that really don't mean anything.”

It is easy to become entrenched in the grind of work and school. Stepping outside our regular routines is important for maintaining a clear perspective on our place in the world. While traveling to South Carolina held an element of adventure, we don't have to drive across the continent to find ways of helping.

Mac Habitat also welcomes students who want to help fundraise for the organization and raise awareness about affordable housing. Those interested in next year's South Carolina trip must submit an application to be considered.

Along with building, Habitat for Humanity Hamilton operates a ReStore that sells building supplies. People who believe in the mission and want to support it donate all sale items. All proceeds from the ReStore go to building Habitat homes. Visit www.habitathamilton.ca for more information on how to get involved.