Collegiate Challenge is Habitat for Humanity's year-round alternative break program that provides opportunities for students from youth groups, high schools, and colleges to spend a week of their school break building a house in partnership with a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the United States. A Collegiate Challenge trip may be the best school break trip you will ever have. Not only do you help people in need, it's also fun! You'll have the chance to improve your carpentry skills, connect with new people in a new place, and put your faith into action by making a real difference in Habitat for Humanity's work of eliminating substandard housing.

We were happy to welcome students from Immaculata University in Pennsylvania, George Mason University in Virginia, and St. Joseph’s College in Connecticut (pictured above) for the 2010 Collegiate Challenge during the weeks of February 28th - March 20th.  They worked on a new construction twin home on Gibson Street in Laurel.  2010 spring break marks the 21st anniversary of the Collegiate Challenge program, and more than 12,000 students will travel to 200 locations to build houses through the program. Throughout its 21-year history, more than 168,000 students have participated in Collegiate Challenge, raising more than $15.5 million. This year alone, Collegiate Challenge participants will contribute $1.8 million.

March 2008 was our first experience with Collegiate Challenge. Students from Curry College, MA, participated in a week long build.  The students started with a blank foundation, and by the end of the week they had framed the entire house along with part of the roof.