Raising Funds for Dorchester Home Renovation
BU Habitat for Humanity’s annual Sleep Out nears $50,000 goal
In the slide show above, see images from this year’s Habitat for Humanity at BU’s annual Sleep Out.
Habitat for Humanity at BU’s annual spring Sleep Out has brought it close to reaching a fundraising goal of $50,000, needed to start a home renovation project in the Boston area. The group has grown to almost 600 student members and does several fundraisers a year, says Patrick Nelson (COM’11), a Habitat BU e-board member.
With donations still being tallied, it is expected that the Sleep Out will bring in most, if not all, of the $5,000 necessary to reach its goal, enabling the group to start renovating a foreclosed house in Dorchester. The BU chapter has been working with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Boston, which has purchased 10 foreclosed homes.
For three nights, April 21, 22, and 23, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Habitat for Humanity BU hosted the overnight event, where students slept in cardboard boxes on Marsh Plaza and collected donations.
“Sleep Out is a fantastic opportunity both to bring attention to the issue of affordable housing and to make the final push toward a putting a BU house right here in Boston,” says John Batoha (CAS’11), Habitat BU’s building coordinator.
“The idea is for people to see us,” according to Zachary Horowitz (SMG’10), president of Habitat BU. “It makes them think about the shelter they have and of other people who are less fortunate.”
The annual Sleep Out, with its free food and entertainment, including a salsa class, draws a large crowd. Raffles offering restaurant gift certificates are held, and other prizes are also given out.
Help Habitat for Humanity at BU raise the funds needed to break ground in Dorchester here.
Nicole Rojas can be reached at nrojas@bu.edu; follow her on Twitter at @nrojas0131.
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