It takes about $60,000 to build a house.
That is, a house built and supplied by members of Wake County’s Habitat For Humanity, according to Taylor Massey, a works project officer for the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
By the end of Shack-A-Thon, a week-long event sponsored by the student group, organizers hope to have collected enough donations to provide the funding for about half a house.
And as of 5 p.m. Thursday, they had raised $16,671.83 toward that goal.
That means the 16 groups participating in Shack-A-Thon have today to finish panhandling in the Brickyard, and one week to raise additional funds to donate to the effort.
Different on-campus groups put in bids starting at $100 to participate in Shack-A-Thon, an event that Kristin Hoke, the vide president of Habitat and a junior in biology, said “spreads the message about what people are living in before they get homes. It makes us see from their perspective.”
The event, which Massey said is the largest of its kind, is a $0-budget fundraiser — everything, including building materials and breakfast and dinner for all those participating in the event, was donated from local businesses — that gives those living in inadequate housing a “hand up, not a hand out.”
Here’s a breakdown of a few shacks:
Groups: Presbyterian Campus Ministry/Accepting and Embracing Gender Identity and SexualityRank in donations: FirstMoney-making tactics: The shack, which has come in either first or second for the past few Shack-A-Thons, uses “creative ways to incite people to donate,” Madeline Burgess, a member of PCM and senior in history, said.
They have members tumble and tell fortunes for donations. A dog, Bear, walks near the shack and when “people want to come and play with the dog, then we ask them for money,” she said. Placement at the farthest end of the shack community — in front of Harrelson Hall and near the Wolves’ Ears — is a key aspect in getting donations, Burgess said. Members also do the usual panhandling.
How the shack braces inclement weather: Architectural detail — like red columns, 12-foot ceilings, a completely open front and tarps that roll down — is something Burgess said the groups strive for each year. Because there is no door, just a tarp that is rolled up during the day and rolled down at night, the space naturally invites people to come up, ask questions about the shack’s purpose, and donate money, junior in international studies David Boyd said. And with a couch, a few chairs and a built-in bench inside, the shack acts more like a “community space” than a shack, Boyd said.
Burgess, who has taken part in Shack-A-Thon for four years, said the event seems to grow in recognition among the campus community each year.
“It seems like it’s a legitimate force to be reckoned with,” she said.
That force, she said, has also spread to the “greater Raleigh community.”
“Last night, we were spending the night in the shack, and at 1:30 a.m. this man walked over and asked us what was going on,” she said. “He didn’t know about it. That way, we brought awareness about what’s happening in the City of Raleigh.”
The event’s message is also spread to prospective students and their parents who walk around the Brickyard on tours.
But PCM and AEGIS have another message to get out there, too. Burgess said having many different groups, each of whom has a “different perspective,” in the same place fosters a sense of community and the need to understand and accept those who have divergent “approaches to life.”
Groups: Phi Sigma Pi, The Movement, Men Against RapeRank in donations: SecondMoney-making tactics: $2,000 of their $2,700 donations came from their opening bid. The remaining $700 comes from: raffling a fraternity brother — Justin Ratliff, a senior in sociology — and Carolina Railhawk tickets; selling homemade cupcakes (sometimes with the help of a “saucy genie”); and panhandling.
How the shack braces inclement weather: Although the shack has two doors — one that Harminder Singh, a junior in civil engineering, declared a fire exit — its wood walls and roof protects those sitting and sleeping from elements like wind, rain and low temperatures.
Huddled inside a shack pieced together with drywall and plywood, 10 members of service- and awareness-oriented groups on campus sit wrapped in blankets and sweatshirts. They’re taking shifts sitting in the shack, some between class, some studying for exams and some just hanging out.
“This is an annual thing for us,” Charley Worley, a junior in biological sciences and member of PSP.
And with two organizations — The Movement, a sexual and relationship violence peer education group, and Men Against Rape, a group that mobilizes men to challenge harmful relationships — whose main goals are to protect students, Worley said their shack is “the safest shack in town.”
Since PSP finished its rush earlier in the month, Worley said the event gave the fraternity’s new members a chance to bond with each other and older brothers.
Before 5 p.m. Thursday, this shack took first place in funds raised. It was displaced by the Presbyterian Campus Ministry/AEGIS shack after Thursday’s collections were calculated and added to the total.
Group: Caldwell ScholarsRank in donations: FifthMoney-making tactics: Selling raffle tickets for donated N.C. State apparel and iPods; alumni, family members and corporation sponsorship; pandhandling.
How the shack braces inclement weather: The Caldwell Saloon has a glass window — most of the shacks, if they have windows, have made their own by cutting squares in the walls — that protects those inside from wind and rain. The shack, she said, “held up pretty well in the heavy rain the morning,” but the roof, although it is peaked to facilitate rain runoff, did leak, Whitney Chrisco, a sophomore in biological sciences and member of Caldwell Scholars, said. Chrisco, wrapped in an N.C. State blanket, said members had to put tarps on both the roof and the floor to prevent rain damage and leaking. Two saloon-style doors block some wind, but do not protect from the rain. Members of Caldwell Scholars, and some of their parents, helped build the shack on Sunday.
Since Caldwell Scholars was one of the top-four donations raisers last year, the group was able to set up its shack beside the main Habitat For Humanity shack — both of which are located in front of the Atrium.
“We get a lot of change from people coming out of the Atrium,” Chrisco said.
She said volunteers participate in the event to “realize that some people live in inadequate housing. Staying in the shack helps you get a gist of what they’re going through.”
Although many people, she said, signed up to volunteer, those who weren’t able to secure a spot frequently stop by to “just hang out.”
“This is the one time when all the Caldwell Scholars come together to support a good cause,” she said. “It’s amazing to see the support and the money that is raised at the end.”
Groups: Chi Alpha, CCF, CIARank in donations: ThirteenthMoney-making tactics: A ping pong table that is open to those who donate money; lemonade; pushups for nickels; a circle of forced donation, in which CIA members drew a circle on the bricks and required those who stepped inside in passing to make a donation; panhandling.
How the shack braces inclement weather: “We had kind of hoped it didn’t get really nasty,” David Taylor, an alumnus and employee of Chi Alpha, said. “The walls are good, but the roof is poorly constructed.” The groups added hinges to one of the walls so that, in good weather, the wood can be lowered to create a table. When it starts to rain or it gets colder, they can raise it to protect the interior. The group also added a flowerbox to the other side, and while rain proved a deterrence for those inside, Margaux Novak, a sophomore in English, said the rain helped the flowers.
It’s a tradition for Chi Alpha to construct a shack each year for Shack-A-Thon, according to Taylor, who said he has participated in the event for four years.
“It’s cool to be out here and chill with people, and meet new people,” he said. “And, of course, to help raise money.”
Although Novak said she spends the minutes between classes in the shack, Joseph Moore, a freshman in animal science, said he’s spent 21 hours in the shack.
Group: 88.1 WKNCRank in donations: FifteenthMoney-making tactics: Sponsoring a Future Kings of Nowhere concert beside its shack in the Brickyard Wednesday night, selling koozies, panhandling.
How the shack braces inclement weather: It doesn’t, really. The stereo-shaped shack was weathered with the rain, so the hammocks that hung from the inside had to be taken down to prevent damage, TJ Appling, the creative services manager and senior in communication, said. “This is the remnants of our shack,” he said. “It was a lot more beautiful yesterday. … We had a pretty sweet set up before the rain.” He added that “the die-hards slept through” Wednesday night’s rain. Being inside the shack does help block wind, Caitlin Cauley, the Americana music director and a junior in English, said. “It serves its purpose,” she said.
WKNC uses the same shack from year to year, storing the parts after deconstruction and then bringing them out the next year.
“We have it down to a science,” Appling said. “It helps keep costs low.”
He said although members of KNC sit out to help raise money for Habitat, they are also there for another purpose.
“We’ve been here in more of a promotional capacity,” he said.
DJs have been broadcasting live from the Brickyard, using their laptops to connect to an automation system that can play music on the air.
“I was the first to broadcast from here,” he said. “It didn’t go quite so smoothly.”
KNC DJs also use the air to encourage people to come out to Shack-A-Thon, he said.
Group: Teaching FellowsRank in donations: TenthMoney-making tactics: Selling candy and cookies, panhandling, hosting a hula hoop contest, in which those who want to participate must donate money. Sometimes, passers-by will challenge those in the shack to a competition, Teaching Fellows member Stephanie Bennett, a freshman in secondary math education, said.
How the shack braces inclement weather: An angled roof helps protect against rain, and the shack has done well to keep those inside “fairly dry,” Bennett said. The shack has open windows and floorless design and members use the brick as a floor.
To stay warm at night, the Teaching Fellows start a group huddle, freshman in agriculture education Lauren Vann said.
“It’s cute,” she said.
But the cold temperatures help those sitting inside the shack better realize how people who have inadequate housing live, Elizabeth Knight, a freshman in math education, said.
“It’s hard to sit out here for two hours,” she said. “I can’t imagine doing it 24 hours a day.”
