Written with the support of Brandon Satterwhite (Mu, ‘98) and Akoni Anthony (Upsilon Gamma, ‘07)
Since 2010, Theta Tau has hosted an alternative Spring Break program for its student members, partnering with Habitat for Humanity in Ventura County, CA and Flagler Beach, FL. In that time, over 1000 brothers have donated their time to help build houses and raised over $150,000, developing communities and fraternal fellowship in the process. This year thirty-six brothers from six chapters participated in this service opportunity.
At Flagler Beach, the volunteers worked on two houses. The first house had been started the previous week, so they added the trusses and plywood for the roof as well as siding and interior structures. Then for the rest of the week, they saw the other side of the project, starting from the ground up on a lot where the foundation had just been poured. They built the exterior walls and added plywood. The new homeowner for the second house came to help on the second day there and was brought to tears telling the group how much it meant to her and her family.
In Ventura, the volunteers focused more on repair, to help improve the living spaces of local homeowners in need. Our members stayed busy, repairing a rotting wood deck, repainting the interior of a home, rewiring another home, and even installing a new shower! These Theta Taus learned a lot of new skills and made a huge impact on the community! They even made the local news. [Check it out here: Habitat program connects volunteer student help with T.O. residents].
The fraternity would like to thank the brothers from Mu (Alabama), Upsilon Gamma (South Florida), Eta Delta (Maryland), Mu Delta (UC Merced), Zeta Epsilon (Stony Brook), and Omicron Epsilon (Northern Arizona) for participating this year!
As engineers, our innovations should make the world a better place for the people we share it with. Our national partnership with Habitat for Humanity helps bring brothers together from across the country to experience that community connection at the heart of engineering, with people who need it most.
Registration for next year’s trip will begin this summer, with a November 1st registration deadline. For more information, please contact our project leader Past Grand Regent Brandon Satterwhite at brandon.satterwhite@thetatau.org.
