Shacks have roof-raising year
By: T.D. Durham
Issue date: 4/1/09 Section: News
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The event is organized by Aggie Habitat for Humanity each year intending to raise money and spread awareness for poverty housing in the Bryan-College Station area.
Aggie Habitat representative Ryan McClaine is co-coordinating Shack-A-Thon for the first time.
McClaine, a senior biomedical science major, said 2009 Shack-A-Thon raised the most money in the history of the event, a grand total of $16,987 from the various student organizations involved.
Aggie Habitat receives fundraiser money by "selling" the lots in the plaza to Texas A&M student organizations, which in turn are allowed to construct a shack in the specified lot. There are 12 lots available for groups, so Aggie Habitat instituted a bidding system to determine who gets the lots.
The bidding process, carried out on Aggie Habitat's Web site, allowed the leaders of any A&M student group to submit a bid amount. The 12 highest bids won the auction and a shack plot.
Junior physics major Jacob Gonzales is the director of community service for sophomore service organization Memorial Student Center LEAD. Gonzales spearheaded the group's involvement in Shack-A-Thon and began raising money for the cause by asking local businesses for donations.
After donating $1,200 for its bid, the group started on the construction process. After designing the shack, the group purchased materials for the shack and built it on Monday during the scheduled Shack-A-Thon construction time. Each organization is required to pass a safety contract before building.
"The construction process was a lot of work," Gonzales said. "In the rain, in the mud, we painted, we cut, we were out here for 11 hours building the whole thing."
After the shacks are completed, the event staff runs a shack award ceremony on Thursday, awarding the best shacks for their creativity and structural design.
The student event staff has scheduled entertainment for the groups to engage in, including live music, extreme foursquare and Guitar Hero tournaments.
Live music this year will feature bands like Strawberry Jam, Paul Banks and the Carousels, and Apotheosis.
The proceeds received from the bids go to the Aggie Habitat group, which sponsors the building of one home in the Bryan-College Station area for an underprivileged family. McClaine said the family that Habitat for Humanity will sponsor this year has not been chosen, but the process will be finalized later this year.
Sophomore psychology major Charles McFarling is a leader for Lechner Hall, a yearly contributor to Shack-A-Thon. Lechner purchased a double-plot shack this year, which was achieved by raising double the average Shack-A-Thon bid.
"We do a lot of fundraisers within our dorm," McFarling said. "This year we raised $3,512 this year for this great cause."
Gonzales and McClaine have been involved in the Habitat Build service project, where money raised from fundraisers like Shack-A-Thon sponsor the building of homes around the nation.
McClaine said working with the benefiting families makes the whole process worth it.
"Getting to see the family's response through the whole building process is great," McClaine said. "Getting to watch how much a new home can provide opportunity for them is what this thing is all about."
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