Once again, Atwater Commons is organizing the “Home-for-a-Home” fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity of Addison County, an event that the College has participated in for several years, and we are currently looking for people to volunteer rooms.
Here is how it works. College faculty and staff volunteer one room (or more) in their homes to provide housing for visitors during the fall family weekend. We then advertise the availability of these rooms to interested parents, and in exchange for this free lodging we ask the parents to make a significant contribution to this local Habitat affiliate. This year, the suggested contribution is $125/night.
This initiative has been tremendously successful in past years. The parents who express interest are self-selecting in the sense that they are always good-natured and genuinely interested in making some new and different types of connections with the faculty and staff at Middlebury. These sorts of connections go straight to the missions of the Commons system, and in the process we get to make a sizable donation to the local Habitat effort. We are completely aware that participating as a host does not suit everyone’s style or housing resources, but please consider participating if you can.
Fall family weekend this year is October 5-7. The coordinating of rooms and guests is being handled by:
Peter Carothers (representing Habitat for Humanity of Addison County)
802.388.2204; pcarothers@wildblue.net
If you would like to offer a room or have more questions, please get in touch with him ASAP. We are already on our way toward another successful year, and if we get a few more rooms, we can really make a difference for those in need. Thanks!
Peter and Michelle Nelson
Co-heads of Atwater Commons