708 N Goodwin , Urbana. Map here (in PDF, thanks to Dave Johnson).

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About the Brownlees

About Illinois' Campus Chapter

Build Sponsors

Build Schedule and Volunteering

Upcoming Events

Past Events

About the Brownlees

Sonya Brownlee is one of our youngest future home owners - just 25. At the same time her build partner, the Illinois Campus Chapter, is made up of some of our youngest leaders. "Working with the Illinois Campus Chapter is an inspiration," said Executive Director Eileen Gebbie. "The majority of their members go to school full time and hold down jobs in addition to their fund raising and home building. They may leave after four years, but their legacies are visible, beneficial to us all."

www.flickr.com habitatchampaign's 0809 Illinois Campus Chapter photoset

A Champaign County native, Sonya graduated from Urbana High School and has attended Parkland College. She found out about our program when 1999 Habitat home owner Karen Hite told Sonya about how much fun she had building her own home, working along side volunteers.

Sonya and three-year-old Bryce live in a neighborhood that has worsened over the last eight years. They've been living with to vandalism, reckless driving, drug abuse, fighting, and even violent deaths. Their hope is simple, and one we all know: a safe environment for a child to play in and grow. Worry about what her child may be seeing, hearing, or risking has been exhausting. However, with the current housing crisis, qualifying for a conventional loan on the wages from her present place of employment is impossible.

Illinois Campus Chapter President Marli Bardell can relate. Now a senior in psychology, Marli grew up in substandard housing herself. She has now worked on four homes in Oklahoma, Kentucky and here (many of you may recognize her from this summer's Women Build). "Having grown up in a substandard housing situation myself has made being a part of Habitat for Humanity even more rewarding. I know firsthand how important it is to have a safe decent place to call home, and the incredible impact that can have on all other areas of your life."

Funding for this home was raised over the course of the last year through a $10,000 State Farm matching grant, $8,000 from the Illinois Interfraternity Council, $6,500 from Orange Krush, $1,255 from the students at nearby King Elementary and events like a 5K race and soliciting donations from passersby on the Illinois Quad, at Wal-Mart and other businesses.

As part if its commitment to support the development of affordable housing in the community, the City of Urbana has provided the lot at 708 N. Goodwin for this project. In addition, the City has allocated $14,999 in down payment assistance (a 5-year forgivable loan) from its Federal HOME program budget.

As with all home builds, Sonya and Bryce will have a family liaison throughout the experience, a mentor and champion to help them through the sometimes overwhelming process of building a new home and meeting so many new friends. Holly Lechniak, a senior in International Studies, volunteered for the role. "As a new board member of the Illinois Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, I am hoping to help Sonya and her son through this exciting process and work with them to create a home in which we all can be proud."

"I'm truly great full for the opportunity to become a homeowner! It has always been my desire to have my home built but it's even a greater feeling to soon be able to say that I helped build my own home!," reflected Sonya about her hand up from Champaign County.

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About Illinois' Campus Chapter

Illinois' Campus Chapter works with the Champaign County affiliate to end poverty housing right here in Champaign. Since starting in 1992, the students have sponsored and helped complete eight houses. When not working on a house, the students fundraise, plan events and volunteer projects to connect with local Habitat families, and raise awareness about poverty housing. During spring break we also send trips to different states to build with other Habitat affiliates.

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Build Sponsors

As of June 3, 2008

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Upcoming Events

Please help us break ground on Champaign County's 51st Habitat home at 708 N. Goodwin in Urbana on Friday, September 5 at 6pm. Construction will begin the next morning and complete by April 2009.

Please see the Campus Chapter's site for more events.

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Build Schedule

To be announced in September. Typically the Campus Chapter fills all slots but we always hope to include community members as well.

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Past Events

University of Illinois Habitat for Humanity awarded national Youth Programs grant from State Farm®
Champaign, Ill., April 13, 2008 – Habitat for Humanity at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was awarded a $10,000 matching grant through State Farm’s national sponsorship of Habitat’s Youth Programs. This grant will be awarded at a presentation ceremony in conjunction with the students’ “Race the Roof” Annual 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, April 13 at 10:40 AM at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana. State Senator Mike Frerichs and State Representative Naomi Jakobsson will be present to recognize the generosity of State Farm and the hard work of the students.

This $10,000 will be used in the sponsorship of a home by the UIUC Habitat for Humanity next Fall. With this grant, the students have raised $50,000 of the $65,000 needed to sponsor a home in partnership with their parent affiliate, Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County and ReStore. Construction will start in October at 708 N. Goodwin in Urbana and will be completed by April 2009. Students from across the university will volunteer on weekends to build the house. Additionally, local State Farm employees will be involved in activities to help eliminate substandard housing in the community and to help many make the dream of homeownership a reality.

Pledging more than a million dollars nationwide, State Farm is providing an unprecedented amount of resources for the program which seeks to engage young people, ages five to 25, to involve them as current and future leaders in Habitat for Humanity’s efforts to eliminate substandard housing and poverty in communities.

“We are grateful for the Habitat for Humanity Youth Programs grant made possible by State Farm,” said Sara Gibbs, President of the University of Illinois Habitat for Humanity. “Our students are the future of Habitat.”

“This is part of a nationwide grant program and further underlines our commitment to building stronger, safer, and better educated communities,” said Vice President of Operations Ann Baughan.

Objectives of the State Farm Habitat for Humanity Youth Programs sponsorship include:

• Increase the number of Habitat affiliates actively engaging their community’s youth
• Contribute to the number of homes constructed by youth ages 16 to 25
• Integrate a Habitat for Humanity service component in school curriculums in order to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, encourage lifelong volunteerism and strengthen communities
  

Habitat’s Youth Programs department coordinates volunteer opportunities that engage tens of thousands of young volunteers each year. The program also serves as a resource for more than 600 Habitat for Humanity campus chapters at high schools, colleges and universities around the world.

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