More than 50 volunteers, mostly Eastern Kentucky University students, turned out on a recent Saturday to help raise funds for Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties.
Dr. Weiling Zhuang's Consumer Behavior class (MKT 350) decided Habitat for Humanity was a perfect fit for a community service project. The class teamed up with Marketing Club members and created the Habitat for Humanity Relay.
Volunteers crowded into the Richmond Mall Habitat Restore to help.
"Some of our volunteers traveled quite a ways to help out,” a grateful Zhuang said. “If there had been room for additional stations, we could have done even more.”
The turnout included School of Business students; members of the EKU Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter; students' parents, friends, and significant others; Habitat for Humanity executives; and customers.
Areas were set up with donated items that volunteers restored and will be available for auction. Tables were repaired and painted, some even creatively restored with colorful decoupage. Visitors and shoppers took part in the fun, too. A putting green challenged golfers to test their skills for $2, and the possibility of winning a small prize. All funds from the Habitat auction fundraiser will go toward Habitat builds.
Because of the event and what they learned about Habitat, several students are now volunteering on a weekly basis for the organization. In addition, friends and relatives learned more about EKU, and some said they would by applying to the University.
As an extension of the volunteer effort, Marketing Club students recorded the event on video and will submit it to the 2017 American Marketing Association (AMA) Best Community and Social Impact Video Competition. The competition aligns with the AMA's new social impact scholarship and encourages chapters to prepare promotional videos that can be posted to a client's website.
The event was co-sponsored by the Department of Management, Marketing and International Business; the Marketing Club; Marketing 350; and the University Diversity Office.