WATERLOO - In the past, Allen College students have been given the opportunity to volunteer their own time - sometimes for course credit, sometimes for intrinsic rewards.

But last fall an accreditation committee told Allen College that it needed to increase its involvement in the community. Service committee member Cindy Jenness, who is also an associate professor at Allen, had an idea.

Her husband and son donated time last summer to mow lots for Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity. Jenness decided Habitat would be a good fit for students at Allen College, so she contacted the organization and found a weekend when students could help build homes for those in need.

About 10 volunteer students from Allen gathered in the North Cedar area of Cedar Falls Saturday morning to work on two homes on Pine Street. Of course, Jenness could not have predicted how cold the weather would be. Temperatures were below 10 degrees when they started at 8:30 a.m. But she was still happy with the turnout.

"We were hoping to get closer to 20 volunteers today, but considering the weather, I'm glad that this many people showed up," said Jenness. "I think there will be plenty of work for them to do inside."

In the winter months, Habitat volunteers are typically confined to the indoor activities. With the amount of work that needs to be done inside the homes, the student volunteers were expecting to be busy all day.

"We had these homes 'dried in' by the first of the year, which basically means that we can work inside of an enclosed environment with heat," said Habitat construction manager Troy Blakestad. He spent the morning giving instructions to the volunteers - a typical Saturday for Habitat employees like Blakestad.

Blakestad explained that weekends are usually reserved for volunteer groups, such as church groups or other organizations. During the week, Habitat employees and "regular" volunteers from the construction industry take care of tasks that require years of experience and training to perform safely.

But volunteer groups like the one from Allen College Saturday are not just there for show, said Blakestad. There are plenty of tasks anyone can perform, provided that Blakestad or other Habitat employees provide direction.

"We have plenty of work for them to do today," Blakestad said with a smile.

Many of the students who volunteered on Saturday were required to perform community service as part of a course requirement, but that did not make the experience any less fulfilling for the students.

"It's another fun way to help people out," said Kirstin Brainard, an Allen College nursing student from Monona.

Ashley Fiser, a fellow nursing student from Charles City, said her inspiration was driven in part by her family members, who have participated in Habitat projects for several years.

The two homes were started in November, and Blakestad said the families would probably move in around June 1. Blakestad said the two families had a total of seven children between them.

Contact Drew Andersen

at (319) 291-1418 or

drew.andersen@wcfcourier.com.