UW-Parkside “Habitat” to spring break in Florida

Habitat for Humanity heading for a Florida spring break.

In October, Ranger Today's Samantha Savaglio reported on plans by UW-Parkside's First Year Experience program to build homes in Tennessee through Habitat for Humanity (HFH) during spring break. The campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity, advised by Student Support Services Director Chris Zanowski, is headed even further south that week, taking Habitat's Collegiate Challenge in Pasco County near Tampa, Florida.   

Fifteen UW-Parkside students will work with the local HFH affiliate as well as community and partner families to help eliminate sub-standard housing in the area. The crew from our campus will travel to Lacoochee, which the local HFH affiliate describes as "a thriving mill town in rural northeast Pasco County, not far from Dade City. The town needs so much it's hard to know where to begin. There are few paved roads, no street lights, and no sewer system." 

Zanowski is working with students Robert Bahtia, HFH campus chapter president, and HFH advertising/marketing chair Jenika Williams, who have begun making arrangements for the trip. Both are veterans of the 2012 spring break Habitat trip to College Station, TX.

Bhatia said motivation for the trip is easy to come by.

"A simple smile from the family you provide a home for is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have," he stated.

According to Zanowski, this will be the 13th UW-Parkside Habitat for Humanity trip. Past worksites include Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, Biloxi, Mississippi; Los Lunas, New Mexico; and Surprise, Arizona. Spring Break 2013 is March 24-30.

In the photo, Jenika Williams, leaning forward, and Robert Bhatia, right, take a break from home building chores during the Habitat for Humanity trip to College Station, Texas, earlier this year.   

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ABOUT THIS STORY:

Story Status: Archived
Publish date: 10/31/2012

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