Washington and Lee Habitat chapter receives State Farm grant

Washington and Lee University’s Habitat for Humanity campus chapter received a $5,000 matching grant from State Farm®, the national corporate sponsor of Habitat’s youth programs.  Across the country, State Farm has provided grants to more than 30 youth groups to engage youth in Habitat’s home construction and neighborhood revitalization activities.

“We are grateful to have been selected as one of the matching grant recipients,” said chapter co-chair Brodie Chittum ’16. “The grant will help us to construct a house for a deserving family in our community.”

A Habitat campus chapter is a student-led, student-initiated organization on a high school or college campus that partners with the local Habitat affiliate to build, fundraise, advocate and educate to support the work of Habitat for Humanity.

The W&L Habitat campus chapter has partnered with Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity for several years and will use the funds it raises to supply materials and tools needed to construct a house in partnership with a local low-income family.

Grant requirements include raising matching funds. Scheduled fundraising activities include food sales, sports tournaments and an on-campus dunk booth. The W&L Habitat campus chapter also raises funds through the popular Habitat Hotel, where local hosts provide accommodations for students’ parents during Parents and Family Weekend each fall. This year, the students raised $19,700 by November, applied for an external matching grant of $5,000 and received it from State Farm®.

“We are proud to present this award for Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity to the Washington and Lee CampusChapter,” said State Farm agent Trey Tilson. “When State Farm was told the W&L Habitat chapter had met the condition of the grant, the match took effect.”

The W&L campus chapter encourages all students to become involved with Rockbridge Area Habitat and help provide funding and volunteer labor to build houses for local low-income families.

“We believe W&L is not only a community in itself, but is also a part of the larger Rockbridge County community,” said chapter co-chair Bennett Henson ’16. “It is our responsibility to give back to the greater Rockbridge area, and building houses forHabitat partner families is a great way to do so.”