Ceremoniously marked by the disassembling of the structures Saturday morning, Shack-a-Thon came to a close after a week of fundraising, community-building and a few days of uncooperative weather.
The weather might have had a negative impact on the amount of money raised as the estimated total this year still falls $28,000 short of last year’s realized goal, but it certainly did provide volunteers and participants with a unique experience.
“It gives perspective on what it means to live in affordable housing,” said Parker Colbath, the director of Shack-a-Thon.
The organization has already raised approximately $36,000 solely through online fundraising and club bids, and an estimated $10,000 through this week’s events.
Because of this year’s inclement weather, online fundraising played a much larger role in reaching the fundraising goal, according to Colbath. The online donations will remain open until Oct. 3, giving students who could not attend a chance to donate and giving clubs an opportunity to host their own fundraisers.
In addition to student donations, sponsorships from local companies like University Towers and Liquid State also contributed to this year’s Shack-a-Thon.
Sustainability played a large role in this year’s Shack-a-Thon as well. About half of the wood used in building the shacks comes from ReStore, a new and used building supply store run by Habitat for Humanity. After the cleanup process is finished, the wood will be donated back to ReStore. Some of the wood that isn’t being donated will be pulped and recycled into new boards. Due to the rain, compost bins were not available until Thursday, but recycling bins were out in the Brickyard throughout the event. Some organizations are also recycling their entire shacks.
Overall, Shack-a-Thon has grown tremendously since it started in 1998, and has established itself as a tradition on campus with 26 shacks and over 50 student organizations involved.
“It’s really crazy just to see in that nine-hour span that the Brickyard goes from nothing to being full with shacks,” said James Cahoon, a sophomore studying biomedical engineering and volunteer at the Caldwell Fellows shack. “It’s kind of crazy to see that just a bunch of undergrad college students are willing to do all of this for Habitat for Humanity.”
This tradition started with a single shack built by the Habitat for Humanity chapter. The event has grown every year and has offered new clubs a way of gaining popularity.
“It’s a great way to get who we are out,” said Phian Tran, a junior studying agribusiness management and the president of the Good Club. “People walk by, and they’re like, ‘Hey, who are you?’ When else do you get a chance to let strangers walk in and hang out with you?”
Shack-a-Thon has gone from raising approximately $44,000 two years ago to around $55,000 last year. With a growing student body, this tradition isn’t going anywhere, and its ability to bring people together is probably what is most instrumental to its success.
“A lot of these organizations would never interact,” Colbath said. “They’re just in different spheres. Like, there’s fraternities playing tug-of-war with health clubs. That might not happen normally. It’s this diversity of clubs, and we’re all coming together, having fun together, and all for a good cause.”
Ethan Briaas, a senior studying environmental engineering, strums his guitar at Shack-a-Thon in the Brickyard.
