Coming off a record-breaking year in 2016, Shack-A-Thon looks to build upon its reputation of being a fun event that benefits the community.
Started in 1998, Shack-A-Thon has been a large NC State student tradition for years. Put on by the students involved in the NC State Habitat for Humanity chapter, Shack-A-Thon is a five-day event where student organizations and college departments construct their own wood shacks on the Brickyard. The requirement is to have someone always living in the shack for the whole event no matter if it is day or night, rain or shine.
“[I am excited for] seeing the different shacks that will get built,” said Nick Longerbeam, a first-year studying English. “I would absolutely live in a shack.”
This year, over 20 shacks are planned to be built. Each shack is sponsored by a specific college or student organization to try to reach a goal amount of money to donate. The NC State chapter partners with the Habitat for Humanity of Wake County and donates all the money raised to them.
“Student activism in any form is always a good thing,” Longerbeam said. “There is always things that need students’ attention, and to raise money for a worthy cause, it is always beneficial.”
Building off the $47,000 raised last year, the goal for the 2017 Shack-A-Thon is to raise $65,000 or enough to build a Habitat home through Habitat for Humanity.
“The purpose [of the event] is to raise money and awareness for the need for affordable housing in the Raleigh community,” said Shack-A-Thon coordinator Parker Colbath, a third-year studying chemical engineering. “The event is a lot of fun. It engages students about the issue. Far more than that, it is about changing the lives of families in our community and breaking cycle poverty.”
In addition to the tradition of Shack-A-Thon, the NC State chapter of Habitat for Humanity meets once a week and builds homes for people in the community. With the help of experienced builders and the future family that will be living in that home, the NC State chapter has its own house project that is dedicated exclusively to their chapter.
“That’s the biggest thing we do,” Colbath said. “We get out and build houses … it’s very empowering to be impacting a family’s life in your own community.”
According to Colbath, the community developed during the week of service is enduring.
“The best part of Shack-A-Thon is serving others while having fun with the purpose of loving your neighbor and community,” Colbath said.
