Building foundations for the future

The IU Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association co-sponsored the building of a Habitat for Humanity home for a local family.\nThe two organizations partcipated in a dedication ceremony alongside Habitat for Humanity for the Roth family’s new home on March 1.\nThe groups began work on the home last semester, said Rashelle Ludolph, vice president of greek communications for the Panhellenic Association.\n“This was a great opportunity for Habitat Humanity and the greek community,” she said. “We seek a lot of support from the Bloomington community and this was an opportunity to give back to the community.”\nLudolph said the ceremony was a nice way for everyone who helped build the home to come together and celebrate.\nGreek members who devoted their time, Habitat for Humanity representatives and a reverend were present and expressed encouraging words to the family before they moved into their new home, Ludolph said.\n“The family cut the ribbonand were given a picture of their home,” she said. \nGifts were presented, a house blessing was given and people could tour the home at the ceremony as well, said Kerry Thomson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Indiana.\n“The Roth family was just a family that needed help,” she said.\nSince last semester, each sorority and fraternity contributed money through dues and one Saturday to help build the home, said Dan Eardley, Intrafraternity Council vice president of communications. Each Saturday one sorority and one fraternity would send ten 10 to 15 people to help build the home, Eardley said, giving the Greek organizations a way to give back on a larger scale.\n“A lot of greek organizations are not able to do big philanthropy projects,” he said.\nEardley said both the Intrafraternity Council and Panhellenic Association plan to contribute $25,000 each toward the home.\n“Organizations donated money for other services that they could not do,” Ludolph said.\nThomson said $37,000 of the $50,000 the two organizations were going to donate has already been contributed.\nThis was not the first time the Intrafraternity Council and Panhellenic Association came together to build a Habitat for Humanity home, and they plan on continue this Ludolph said.\nHabitat for Humanity is looking forward to doing other projects with the two organizations in the future, Thomson said.\nThomson said the Roth family will close on its house April 1 and should move in after that date.\nEardley said the whole experience was rewarding.\n“Greek organizations were able to fulfill their values and do what they were founded to do,” he said.