March 31, 2005

Habifest to honor international Habitat for Humanity campaign

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University chapter of Habitat for Humanity will conduct Habifest, a student-initiated overnight campaign to heighten awareness of poverty, on Wednesday and Thursday (April 6-7) on the Memorial Mall and at other campus locations.

Habifest is Purdue Habitat for Humanity's contribution to Act!Speak!Build! Week, which is being conducted worldwide April 4-9 by Habitat for Humanity International.

Habifest will feature the construction of cardboard box homes and the sale of promotional T-shirts beginning Wednesday (April 6) on the Memorial Mall, as well as a benefit comedy show that evening in Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry.

All Habifest events are open to the public, and all but the comedy show are free.

"This is the third year for Habifest, and we are hoping to make it much more interesting," said Becky Ward, vice president of the Purdue chapter of Habitat for Humanity. "We want to provide students on campus with a fun event as well as an educational event. The main focus is on raising awareness of poverty and substandard housing both in our community and around the world."

Habifest starts at 10 a.m. Wednesday (April 6), when participating Purdue students will begin building cardboard box homes on the Memorial Mall. Construction of the homes, which will serve as overnight shelter for the participants, ends at 7 p.m.

Once finished, the cardboard box homes will be judged by event organizers, and trophies will be awarded to those building the tallest home, the most house-like home and the most original home. The houses also will be judged on Thursday (April 7), when students throughout campus can choose their favorite by directly submitting donations to the home they like best.

While the cardboard box homes are being constructed, Habifest organizers will oversee several outdoor entertainment activities, conduct a letter-writing campaign and distribute educational material about poverty and substandard housing worldwide. A fund-raising T-shirt sale also will take place, with shirts selling for $5 each.

Two Habifest-related events are scheduled for Wednesday evening, including a 7:30 p.m. presentation and an 8 p.m. benefit show by the improvisational comedy troupe Crazy Monkeys. Both of those events will take place in Wetherill, Room 172.

Tickets to the Crazy Monkeys performance, entitled "Laughs for Lumber," are $3 each and are available at the Stewart Center Box Office. Tickets also will be available at the door on the night of the performance.

Additionally, the Purdue chapter of Habitat for Humanity has scheduled several other events in the Greater Lafayette area to coincide with the weeklong international Act!Speak!Build! Week campaign.

All donations and fund-raising proceeds from Habifest will go to Habitat for Humanity International.

Writer: Aaron Martin, (765) 496-3133, martinac@purdue.edu

Source: Becky Ward, rward@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Media are welcome at all Habifest events. To make arrangements, contact Becky Ward, Purdue Habitat for Humanity vice president, at rward@purdue.edu.

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