Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Within a year, a Starkville family should be moving into a Habitat for Humanity-built home made possible with support provided by Mississippi State’s fraternities and sororities.

University fraternity and sorority members recently completed a fundraising campaign that raised $75,000 in donations.

John Michael VanHorn, MSU fraternity and sorority life assistant director, said he anticipates the construction project becoming a yearly partnership with the Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity program.

Work on the building is expected to begin in September, with dedication of the residence taking place mid-spring, he added.

VanHorn emphasized that service is a cornerstone of Greek organizations. Fund-raising and home construction projects such as this provides fraternity and sorority members with special opportunities to leave a lasting impact on the community, he added.

“Our fraternities and sororities pride themselves on their various philanthropy and community service efforts, and this is a great way for our students to interact with each other while giving back to the community with one specific project,” said VanHorn, an MSU alumnus.

Joel Downey, Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity executive director, said home ownership is key both to personal financial stability and community development.

“What the university’s fraternities and sororities are doing is absolutely fantastic because they have stepped up and offered to raise funds and build a whole house,” Downey said. “The family who benefits from this new home is going to be able to look and say ‘This is what Mississippi State did for me,’ and that’s amazing.”

In addition to assistance from numerous campus and community volunteers, Downey said his organization is grateful for the annual support of covenant partners like MSU’s Kappa Sigma fraternity. As part of their Charity Classic football game, Kappa Sigma members have donated $20,000 each of the past five years to the Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity program, he noted.

To donate to this Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity project, visit www.habitat.greeks.msstate.edu or mail a check in care of Fraternity and Sorority Life, P.O. Box 5368, Mississippi State, MS 39762.

For more information on MSU fraternities and sororities or the new Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity project, visit www.greeks.msstate.edu. To contact the fraternity and sorority life office, telephone 662-325-3917. VanHorn also may be reached at jvanhorn@saffairs.msstate.edu.

Learn more about Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity by visiting www.starkvillehabitat.com, telephoning 662-324-7008 or emailing hhumanity@bellsouth.net.

MSU, Mississippi’s flagship research institution, is online at www.msstate.edu.