Athens, Ga. – In celebration of 200 years of on-campus student living at the University of Georgia, the Department of University Housing, in partnership with Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, has broken ground on construction of a new home for Athens resident Chynitra Brown.
“Building a house for a local resident seemed like a great way for UGA Housing to give back to the community,” said Jim Day, retired UGA Housing executive director.
UGA Housing, the Residence Hall Association and countless student residents raised the necessary funding, $60,000, over a five year period through activities such as gift wrapping for the customers of Borders bookstore, penny drives, a “Couch-A-Thon” and sales of commemorative bricks.
“I feel that this project reflects the high quality of individuals that the University has in its employ,” said Spencer Frye, Athens Area Habitat for Humanity executive director.
Work is expected to continue on Brown’s new house for the next 16 weeks. Volunteers are welcome to participate. No construction experience is necessary. Interested parties should contact either Nyerere Tryman 706/542-8985 or Peter Moes 706/542-8344 for more information.
The Department on University Housing provides comfortable, affordable and secure on-campus housing options to more than 7,500 University of Georgia students.
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Note to editors: A photo of students and staff at work on the habitat house is available by contacting Wendy Jones at 706/542-6927 or wfjones@uga.edu.