The 18th annual Shack-A-Thon will host 26 shacks in the Brickyard next week to raise a goal of $65,000 for the Wake County Habitat for Humanity.
The fundraiser is an all-hands-on-deck task, with over 1,500 students sleeping, eating and living in the shacks for an entire week. What was once a few students wanting to bring awareness to the issue of affordable housing is now a campus-wide event that has raised more than $340,000 for the organization.
“The hardest part is networking with businesses to gain sponsorship,” said Claire Walczyk, the leader of the Global Colors Shack and a junior majoring in environmental studies.
NC State’s Habitat for Humanity Chapter hopes to raise funds in order to cover the cost of one of eleven townhomes Wake County Habitat plans to build.
“This year we’re specifically partnering with Wake County to build a townhome for a family in need,” said Tripp Pearce, president of the Habitat for Humanity chapter at NC State and a senior studying environmental engineering.
Last year, 21 shacks at Shack-A-Thon raised $68,000 for Habitat for Humanity.
“We were able to raise $58,000 from Shack-A-Thon itself and then we had a matching grant from State Farm to make it $68,000,” Pearce said.
The College of Natural Resources shack, as well as the Poole College of Management shack were crowd favorites and some of the biggest fundraisers, with CNR raising a grand total of $14,569, the most in Shack-A-Thon history.
“Last year the College of Natural Resources built one out of bamboo,” Pearce said.
This year, the 26 different groups will begin constructing their shacks at 8 a.m. on Build Day this Sunday.
Leading a shack takes hours of hard work and dedication by all involved.
“Things like budgeting, planning fundraisers, building the shack and figuring out the whole big picture are complicated,” Walczyk said.
Walczyk is the leader of the Global Color Shack which will feature Henna, Chinese lanterns, Pura Vida bracelets and a map where students can stamp their thumbprints to see where other students are from. The booth is a collaboration between the Cultural Exchange Network, Arts Village, Global Village and other organizations.
“I’m always so impressed by Build Day, the day when all the shacks are constructed, and how quickly everything is able to come together,” said Lexi Kloeppel, a junior studying chemical engineering.
The Engineering Village and Impact Leadership Village will be joining together to create “Escape-A-Shack,” an escape-room style experience.
“Engineering Village and Impact Leadership Village have both participated in Shack-A-Thon before, but this is the first year we are combining forces,” said Anna Jackson, a junior studying physics. “This year since we are working with more people and offering a unique experience, we hope to increase the amount we have for Habitat for Humanity to $3,200.”
“Escape-A-Shack” will be solar-powered, making it the only shack with electricity.
“By participating in an escape room-style challenge, students and community members can expect that they’ll be faced with puzzles and logic challenges that will help them gain clues to escape the shack,” Kloeppel said.
The shack will run Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The escape rooms will last 20 minutes each and the cost will be $5 per person.
