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Student volunteers turn a university parents' weekend to Habitat's advantage
Students at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., found a way to raise funds for Habitat by banking on a time-honored college relationship: Mom and Dad.
The Habitat Hotel program works by matching parents who have come to town for Parents' Weekend at Washington and Lee with Lexington residents. The parents stay with their volunteer hosts and make a donation to Rockbridge Area HFH in lieu of paying for a hotel room.
Student and Habitat volunteer Lane Morgan reports that Habitat is not the only beneficiary of the Habitat Hotel. "Parents have really enjoyed the Habitat Hotel program," she says. "They enjoy interacting with Lexington community members, in some cases W&L alumni or retired professors."
Not only do the families enjoying meeting Lexington residents, but in some cases enduring friendships are formed. Peggy Riethmiller became involved with the Habitat Hotel eight years ago when she served as a liaison between the local chapter and the Washington and Lee campus chapter. Since then, she's seen the program become an established tradition for some students and their parents.
"Some come back to the same Lexington family for all four years," she says. "The students have an extra set of 'parents' in town. It's a win-win event."
The idea was the brain child of a student volunteer seeking to turn Lexington's limited hotel capacity to Habitat's advantage. Now, years later, the event usually raises between $9,000 and $11,000 each year in addition to educating the parents and students about the area's need for decent shelter.
"Habitat is such well known 'product,' but some people don't know how it works," Riethmiller says. "The students explain that the money will be used toward building a W&L Habitat house in the Lexington area, and they meet the family they will build the house for, learn about sweat equity and interest free loans."
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