LSU’s Greek Week, a celebration of community, service and unity, was in full swing as fraternity and sorority members came together to build homes for families in need last week. Since 2005, LSU’s Greek Life has partnered with Habitat for Humanity, and this year marks the construction of the 35th and 36th homes.
Their efforts have resulted in homes for 42 adults and 65 children.
“We fundraise all year for this week to just be able to buy the materials for [the] houses,” said Amanda MacFadyen, a mass communication junior who serves as the event’s panhellenic co-director. The Greek community has raised over $40,000 this year alone, according to MacFadyen.
“Since we’ve had this partnership, 18,000 fraternity and sorority members have volunteered, donating over 74,000 hours of service,” said Ritchie Goebel, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge.
Volunteers from various chapters combined efforts to build two homes in just one week. These homes will be provided to families in need through the Habitat for Humanity homeownership program, offering them a safe and stable place to live.
The volunteers were actively engaged at the site, physically constructing the homes from the ground up.
“Many people don’t expect to actually be handed a hammer and be told, ‘OK, you’re gonna build this wall,'” MacFadyen said.
“Since we started this, LSU Greeks have raised over $2 million to support these builds,” Goebel said.
Goebel’s first encounter with Habitat for Humanity was through a Greek build during his time at LSU. The experience later inspired him to continue his work with Habitat for Humanity.
“I think sometimes we like to talk about what we’re doing as far as building a home, but in the end, we’re helping people,” he said.
“I’m not sure there’s a bigger brand than LSU in our community,” Goebel said. Through initiatives like the partnership with Habitat for Humanity, LSU channels its influence in a positive direction, encouraging its students to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others.
“It’s like the philanthropy of Greek Life at LSU, just because it unifies all of us,” MacFadyen said. Unlike individual chapter philanthropies, Greek Week brings together the entire LSU community in Baton Rouge for a common cause.
“It’s a lot of fun, and what makes it fun is because not only do we have a full-time construction staff that helps. We have the volunteers there, but also, we also have the homeowners there on site. So we’re literally building a home for a person that’s on-site helping us build it themselves,” Goebel said.
Working alongside homeowners-to-be throughout the week allowed students to cultivate a spirit of service.
“Being able to foster that ability for students to come out and serve, we get to work all week with the homeowners who are going to be living in the houses. It’s just really eye-opening to hear their stories and how far they’ve come in their journey,” MacFadyen said.
Through Greek Week, LSU’s fraternity and sorority members are not just building homes; they are building hope and changing lives.
