Students to build model homes for charity
Published: October 3, 2005
Are you going to finish that fudgesicle?
Students in Valerie Cotton’s fifth-grade art class at Vineland Elementary School are building houses entirely out of popsicle sticks to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte County.
The houses will be auctioned off at a school assembly later this month.
This is the second year Cotton has organized the Homes for Habitat project.
Cotton said the devastation of Hurricane Charley last year inspired the idea.
“I wanted to give the kids some way to take control,” Cotton said. “Many of the children became homeless themselves.”
Cotton has also been educating her students about the realities of homelessness.
“I told them that some kids in this school could even be homeless,” Cotton said.
She said the kids were surprised to learn homelessness is more prevalent than they would have guessed.
Cotton said one of her students was very particular about planning his house.
“He planned it all out and drew a floor plan,” Cotton said. “I told his mom he’s probably going to be an architect some day. ”
Cotton said she has an adult volunteer do all of the hot-glue gun work on the houses, just to be safe.
Cotton said she has 178 houses to keep track of in her art room.
“They’re on the counters, in the closet, on the table, everywhere,” Cotton said.
All of the houses will be auctioned off at 6:15 p.m. Oct. 20. Earlier that day, Ron Thomas, executive director of Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity, will address the students about how the organization works.
“I’ve asked him to show them a video of the families and the homes being built with money contributed to Habitat for Humanity,” Cotton said.
Thomas will also be at the auction that evening.
Cotton said parents, family members and community members can bid on the houses. Opening bids start at $10.
Cotton said one of the houses went for a whopping $200 last year.
Nearly $2,000 was raised at last year’s assembly.
Cotton said it would be great if other area schools give the Homes for Habitat project a try.
“My hope is that other schools will join this worthy thing to do for these children,” Cotton said.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: