West Haven Resident Helps Build Houses In North Carolina

WEST HAVEN, CT — (Contributed) Twelve members of Eastern Connecticut State University's student chapter of Habitat for Humanity recently traveled to New Bern, North Carolina, to help build houses with the Habitat for Humanity of Craven County.

Among the students was Ian Valeta of West Haven, a freshman majoring in Art.

During the week-long spring break trip this March, the Habitat for Humanity members assisted in builds and explored the area of New Bern. Along with building new houses, the group repaired homes damaged by Hurricane Florence in 2018 and worked at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, where they helped organize donations.

Students were able to learn and improve on a number of building skills, including how to cut and nail down Tyvek, a synthetic fiber product used to block moisture from getting inside walls, replacing flooring, and installing dry wall.

Eastern's Habitat for Humanity club spends the year working toward its annual spring break trip, hosting fundraisers like Shackathon to reduce the costs for individual members. These fundraisers, paired with Habitat builds in Willimantic, such as their current work on Serwan Avenue, keep the club members busy and involved in the community.