MTSU students, volunteers hammer home altruism with Habitat panel build [+VIDEO]

Ramsey Ferguson wants to finish his senior year strong by doing things that count.

The MTSU biology major, along with other students and volunteers, devoted time and dedication this week to complete a “panel build” on the Campus Recreation Center parking lot that will eventually result in a Habitat for Humanity house for a local family.

MTSU students and volunteers work Tuesday, Nov. 14, during a “panel build” on the parking lot of the Campus Recreation Center that will eventually result in a Habitat for Humanity house for a local family. (MTSU photo by Jayla Jackson)

“Doing something like this and being able to donate time and energy is really rewarding,” said Ferguson, who serves as president of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

The MTSU Office of Student Organizations and Service teamed up with Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity for the project, which doesn’t require construction or carpentry experience from participants.

Jackie Victory

This is MTSU’s seventh Habitat project, and Nov. 14 marked the second “panel build,” a one-day event in which only the interior and exterior walls of a house are put together for future construction.

“It’s a way to get our students into the community and give back,” said Jackie Victory, director of Student Organizations and Service.

“One of my favorite parts about this is seeing students understand that this will be somebody’s house one day, and they (the recipients) get to hang pictures and make memories.”

Jonathan Greer, this year’s local Habitat home recipient, had no problem rolling up his sleeves to help build his future residence.

Murfreesboro resident Johnathan Greer works Tuesday, Nov. 14, during the “panel build” project at MTSU that completed the interior and exterior walls of what will be his new home when it’s finished and dedicated in the spring. (MTSU photo by Jayla Jackson)

Murfreesboro resident Jonathan Greer works Tuesday, Nov. 14, at MTSU during a “panel build” project that completed the interior and exterior walls of what will be his new home when it’s finished and dedicated in the spring. (MTSU photo by Jayla Jackson)

“It’s an honor to even be in this program, but it’s even more of a blessing,” Greer said. “I appreciate everything.”

He’s lived in Murfreesboro his entire life and said he wants to improve his two children’s lives, recountingwhat his grandparents did for him.

“This is the reason I’m doing this … to better our life, similar to how my grandparents raised me,” he said.

The house will be finished in the spring and dedicated in late April.

“I like seeing the difference it makes in students,” Victory said of the university’s Habitat builds.

“You can see they leave a little bit different — they’re like, ‘that was fun’ and they get to meet the homeowner and see what they did.”

Volunteers during the five-hour panel build also included Nashville-based musician Rick Monroe and sister trio Southern Halo: Christina, Hannah and Natalia Morris.

The MTSU Office of Student Organizations and Service is part of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership and provides volunteer and community service opportunities to students. Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/involve or call 615-898-5812.

For more information about the Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity, call 615-898-5877.

— Jayla Jackson (news@mtsu.edu)

Volunteers work Tuesday, Nov. 14, during a “panel build” on the parking lot of the Campus Recreation Center that will eventually result in a Habitat for Humanity house for a local family. (MTSU photo by Jayla Jackson)