Recently, Mississippi State’s Habitat for Humanity reopened its chapter after being dormant since 1987. Habitat is an organization that supports and helps build houses in the community and raises money for Habitat for Humanity International.
The MSU Habitat chapter has several exciting fund-raisers coming up to involve MSU students, including Jail and Bail and Poverty on the Row. According to Habitat president Emily McCarson, the organization is hoping to make Jail and Bail an annual event.
“Jail and Bail is for students, faculty and staff,” McCarson said.
Jail and Bail is a fund-raiser where participants can pay a fee of their choice of $5-$15 to purchase a warrant for someone on campus.
It will be held April 6 on the north lawn of the Drill Field, between the Colvard Student Union and the Post Office. Once someone is taken in with a warrant, they can call friends to pledge money to Habitat to get them out of jail. The bail amount is twice as much as the warrant.
“We are trying to involve a few people from Starkville area in the Jail and Bail fund-raiser,” McCarson said.
Cingular is helping by donating cell phones for those arrested to call people for their bail.
“We’re dividing the proceeds, with 50 percent going toward the Starkville area Habitat for a new home on Harlem Street,” McCarson said.
“Forty percent of the money is for starting a fund to build an MSU Habitat house, and 10 percent will go to Habitat International to build homes in third world countries.”
MSU Habitat intends to have fund-raisers in the next two years to get the money together for all its projects.
“We really want the MSU community to become involved,” McCarson said, “and we want all of the money and building donated by MSU.”
The other upcoming fund-raiser is Poverty on the Row on April 17, which will involve a number of sororities and fraternities, building a shack on their lawn that members sleep in for the night.
A third fund-raiser is Change the World on April 10 where campus chapters all over the country try to educate people about Habitat and Poverty Housing.
There will be Habitat workers on the Drill Field during the day with a booth, asking people to donate pocket change to Habitat.
“We’re collecting change for window frames, siding and different parts of houses,” McCarson said. “We want everyone to give a little bit, just 25 cents.”
McCarson, a senior from Demopolis, Ala., became involved in Habitat her sophomore year when she saw a small article about the organization in The Reflector.
“I went with the group to visit a few homes and felt it was a worthwhile organization,” McCarson said.
Habitat, which is a Christian-based organization, is non-denominational and does not discriminate against any race or religion.
“Habitat is based on Christ’s teachings in helping others through actions,” McCarson said. “We have built for and had all religions help us. We are faith based.”
Habitat currently has 20 members who volunteer for building committees such as a Web site committee, fund raising committee, publicity and media relations committee and educating committee.
“I feel my mission now is to keep this organization running and to get MSU involved so that we can help eliminate poverty housing,” McCarson said.