Samford University once again will partner with Habitat for Humanity to build a home for a Birmingham family during the Christmas season.
“Home for the Holidays” is coordinated by Habitat and Birmingham’s ABC television affiliate. Samford is one of 11 corporate sponsors this year and the only corporate sponsor other than ABC 33/40 to participate every year since the project’s inception in 2003. Each sponsor takes one day to help with the build, and the home is completed and dedicated in 14 days.
Samford’s build day is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers can serve a morning or afternoon shift or work all day. Lunch is being provided by Sodexo, Samford’s food service vendor.
The home is being built for Jenise Collins and her two children: Jayla, 11, and Korey, 8. Collins is a nurse who is active in Tower of Prayer Church in Leeds. Jayla is in the 5th grade and participates in volleyball and the school band. Korey is in 2nd grade and plays soccer and basketball.
“Owning my own home will truly change my life,” Collins said.
She went on thank the sponsors of the project, saying, “I would tell them thank you from the bottom of my heart, and to let them know that they have made my dreams come true for me and my kids.”
“We are excited to join forces once again this year to make the dream of a home come true for the Collins family,” Lauren McCaghren, the senior director of annual giving and alumni programs, said. “This wouldn't be possible without the help of many alumni and students of Samford, and we invite the Samford community to join us as we roll up our sleeves and work together to make this Christmas the best one yet for this special family.”
Jimmy Lichtenwalter is a journalism and mass communication major and a news and feature writer in the Office of Marketing and Communication.
