PNC Construction Club Volunteers to Help Local Groups

Westville – Purdue University North Central Construction Club recently participated in the LaPorte County Habitat for Humanity's first Ready, Set, Build Celebration intended to help the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home in LaPorte.

The event featured a competition challenge between the PNC Construction Club and a team composed of the LaPorte County Habitat for Humanity’s Board of Directors which includes two contractors. The challenge was for both teams to begin building at 8:30 a.m. and the team that built the most walls correctly constructed, raised, plumbed, squared and braced by 3:30 p.m. would be declared the winner. The PNC team had the four exterior walls and all the trusses completed by 2:30 p.m.

“The team was incredible and accomplished far more than I had hoped or imagined,” said Sue Downs, construction manager for LaPorte County Habitat for Humanity. “It was absolutely amazing to watch them. Their workmanship was great and their teamwork was exceptional. They were a great team. Having finished far more than expected in only two-thirds of the time, many of them stayed to help the other team complete their house. The site was transformed from two floor decks to two framed houses. It was an incredible feat to witness.”

Construction Club members are Nicholas Ayres, Westville; Dave Formenti, Valparaiso; Scott Brown, LaPorte; Martha Garcia-Saenz, associate professor of building construction management technology and her husband, Ivan Saenz. Jim Pressel of Pressel Enterprises agreed to lead the PNC team and he brought his son Jimmy to help.

The Construction Club also participated in Rebuilding Together Duneland. Student John Morley, of LaPorte, and PNC alumnus Brendan Fitzgerald, Valparaiso, coordinated all 13 projects and recruited a number of PNC students to act as ambassadors. The ambassadors contacted the owners of the projects to be worked on and prepared lists of the materials needed and made sure all tools and materials are in place the day of the work. They also organized the volunteers and worked along to them to get the project done.

The ambassador teams were: Nick Ayres, Westville and Mike Kienitz, LaPorte; Garry Campbell, Gary, and Matt Miniel, Valparaiso; Keith Countryman, New Carlisle; Brittany Baker, Knox; and Stephanie Garner, Portage; Joe Henrys, Westville; and Scott Brown, Westville and Jeff Paschen, LaCrosse; and Lynne Shukitis, Chesterton.

Another 50 PNC students, staff and faculty volunteered worked on the projects.

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