ANN ARBOR—The University Of Michigan Chapter of Habitat for Humanity (UM-HFH) is constructing a four-bedroom house on Monroe Street in Ypsilanti. Work began in November and should be completed by March. The final workday of 1999 will be Dec. 4.

This marks the first time that UM-HFH has been able to sponsor a house. The U-M chapter of Habitat for Humanity, begun in 1996, has grown over the past three years to include more than 2,200 student members. Chapter activities include building affordable housing for economically disadvantaged people in southeastern Michigan, sponsoring an alternative spring break trip, and engaging in collegiate volunteer exchanges. UM-HFH is committed to achieving its motto of “One Year, One House, One Family,” says chapter president Michael Carr.

UM-HFH is a campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), an organization that builds quality housing for low-income families through volunteer labor and the donation of money and materials. Each home the organization builds is sold via non-interest loans to families previously selected from an applicant pool. In addition, partner families must complete 400 “sweat equity” hours?that is, labor spent working alongside the Habitat volunteers, towards the completion of their house and that of other Habitat families.

Recipient of the UM-HFH house in Ypsilanti is a single mother of four, according to Carr. The $50,000 house is being constructed with funds raised by UM-HFH, much of which is from corporate donations. Johnson & Johnson Health Care Services, Inc. is donating $30,000 and Best Buy is donating $10,000. The remaining $10,000 has been raised though student efforts, says Carr.

It is part of the Johnson & Johnson credo to help the communities in which they live and work and to give to that community as much as they can. Best Buy has partnered with Habitat for Humanity International and has donated $200,000 to help fund the building of 20 house in Best Buy regions across the country.

Chapter information can be found at http://www.umich.edu/~habitat; by contacting Carr, (734) 528-1896, [email protected]; Ronny Luhur, vice president of UM-HFH, (734) 827-1176, [email protected]; Katie Norris, construction coordinator for UM-HFH, (734) 622-0212, [email protected].