Nathan Gibbs (center, back, standing in front of shutter) stands in the middle of the CSU group that built the Habitat home.Charleston Southern University is passing along its culture of servanthood to students like sophomore Kristin Addy.
Addy and about 40 fellow students watched in excitement as Nathan Gibbs, from Summerville, walked into his new home, built by Dorchester Habitat for Humanity with the help of Charleston Southern students. The house dedication ceremony also included Summerville town officials, project donors and members of Gibbs’s family.
Addy remembers her first encounter with the effort, dubbed Project Phoenix. A group of students and a few CSU staff members began by digging a trench on the land next to Gibbs’s dilapidated home on Sept. 13, during the 2005 Trident United Way Day of Caring event. Addy expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to help others in need.
Sophomore Kristin Addy said the project gave them “a chance to serve others.”“It’s actually a chance that we had to serve others,” Addy said. “It definitely showed our mission of promoting academic excellence in a Christian environment.”
Rick Brewer, vice president for planning and student affairs, said this experience would motivate students to continue to serve beyond their college years. About 300 students, from various athletic, academic and student organizations, participated.
“The ripple effect is that these students will one day be in a position of influence,” Brewer said. “We’re hoping they’re going to step up and make a difference for someone else in need in terms of housing.”
The Mini World Changer groups were divided into 26 crews and worked at 32 sites. Groups from CSU included the Future Teachers Society, Lambda Theta Chi sorority and others.Star Callaway of Dorchester Habitat said Charleston Southern students added energy, enthusiasm and hard work to the project. Students worked on building the house every week, with volunteer efforts coordinated by dean of students Bob Ratliff. The university also donated $10,000 toward the effort.
The goal of Project Phoenix is to build two more houses on the land owned by Gibbs. His former house will be demolished and Dorchester Habitat is seeking donors to help fund the next two homes. Brewer said that with a university goal of building one Habitat home per year, CSU is always ready to provide student labor.