By Jessie Israel

Spring Break for college students is often synonymous with a beach trip. But some students opt for a service-learning opportunity. March is a fun and exciting time at Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity (AAHH) as we provide this kind of alternative spring break opportunity – Collegiate Challenge. Every year students from around the country comes to the Blue Ridge Mountains and spend a week with us. They spend a full week volunteering on the new home jobsite and/or with our Home Repair Team. In addition to hands-on volunteering, the week includes orientation on Monday morning, a dinner with a Habitat homeowner on Wednesday night, and a team lunch and reflection period on Friday.

This year, we were thrilled to host groups from: Piedmont Virginia Community College, University of Alabama, and Hamilton College (NY), as well as local schools Warren Wilson College and AB-Tech.

Many students say their week with AAHH is as equally impactful for them as it is for the communities they’re serving. They share that it feels good to support Habitat’s mission and that it’s rewarding to volunteer their time. As an AmeriCorps member, I learned so much on the construction site, and expanded my confidence and abilities. So it is especially heartwarming for me to see students come out at the start of the week with no prior construction experience and finish the week feeling capable and empowered, and leaving with new skills. Students witness first-hand the difference they are making within the Asheville community with every nail they hammer, every wall they put up, and every new floor they put down. A few of the many reflections shared with us at the end of the week include:

• Established new friendships within the group I traveled with;
• Learned a lot about construction and feel more confident in my abilities to do such work;
• Best part of my week was knowing that we are blessing so many people’s lives and truly making a difference.

If you would like to inquire about how to bring a team to Asheville to work with us during Collegiate Challenge month (March 2025), or any time of year, contact Stephanie at swallace@ashevillehabitat.org.