Bradley Students to build Habitat House

Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Peoria Area will break ground for a new home at 1538 Great Oak Drive in Peoria at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 8. Helping turn the earth will be students from the Bradley University Habitat Chapter and students from Bradley's Construction Department.

Last year, Bradley students helped build a Habitat house with the Peoria affiliate. For spring break, they attended a Habitat Collegiate Challenge in Miami. They spent the week building a house with a Miami Habitat family. When the students returned from spring break, they informed Jane Genzel, the local Habitat director, that they wanted to sponsor a Bradley Habitat House.

As the house sponsor, the students have committed to building the house as well as raising funds to contribute to the $50,000 sponsorship fee. The Peoria affiliate has procured a $20,000 challenge grant from the Regional Habitat organization for the Bradley House. The Bradley students need to raise $30,000.

Jane Genzel said the Habitat affiliate is excited about the Bradley Habitat House. "I've been working with this group of Bradley students for about a year. They are a great group of kids: intelligent, enthusiastic, optimistic, and interested in making the world a better place."

This marks the 41st house for Habitat in the tri-county area, and the fifth house to be built in Habitat's Ridgewood Knolls subdivision.

The Bradley students' first day of construction will be on September 28. They will work alongside Monica Hamer and her children, the new homeowners.

Habitat for Humanity Greater Peoria Area and HFH International - Background

Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International has been working to achieve its goal of eliminating poverty housing worldwide. HFH International was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller and is responsible for the construction of more than 120,000 decent, affordable homes around the world.

In the tri-county area, Habitat for Humanity Greater Peoria Area has been building and renovating homes since 1989 in partnership with low-income families. Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Peoria Area has built or renovated 37 homes since it began. 3 more are currently under construction.

Directions to 1538 Great Oak Drive:
West on Nebraska, past Sterling
Left on Lehman Rd. (this is the entrance to Pierson Hills complex)
Continue on Lehman Rd. until it becomes Great Oak Road