Students Build a “Habitat” for Dogs in Lynmore Estates – Saturday, March 7, 2015

Macon Area Habitat for Humanity (MAHFH) partnered with Mount de Sales Academy (MDS) students and families to construct dog houses for families in need in the Lynmore Estates neighborhood. Five resident families of the Lynmore Estate neighborhood received the newly constructed dog houses Saturday, March 7, 2015. Students and their families met at Southside Baptist Church at 4162 Roy Avenue, to assemble the dog houses. MDS staff member, Tony Barham, pre-cut the wood donated by Choo Choo Build-It Mart in Perry, ahead of the Saturday build event. Dog houses were assembled at the church site, dedicated and donated to the resident families. “The need for dog houses was identified through the Canine Census conducted by university students and neighborhood youth last year. We are grateful for Mount de Sales’ outreach to the residents in this way”, says Dr. Sundra Woodford, MAHFH’s neighborhood revitalization manager. This project meets the needs of the students and the dogs. "When it's cold outside, they really don't have shelter and their families probably can't afford to provide shelter for them. To be able to build doghouses for them, I thought it was an outstanding volunteer opportunity,” commented MDS parents association president, Daniele Jones. Students and their families are not just building the dog houses but they have collected dog food, treats, and leashes. MDS requires their students to complete 20 hours of community service each academic year. According to Ashley Griffin, director of admissions and parents association liaison at MDS, “Our parents asked for us to plan a community event, where the parents and students could do a service project together. I had to actually turn away some families because I didn’t want too many people standing around with nothing to do." Once the dog houses were completed, a “house” dedication followed much like the home dedications for Habitat partner families. MDS student, Joyce Evelyn Beall, offered the house blessing, and the gifting of dog treats, food, and accessories to each receiving family was presented by Jones. The Woodford family delivered the dog houses to the five excited and anxiously awaiting families after the paint dried.

The following are some images from the event: