Greetings from Alabama

A group of students from Southeast Missouri State University are rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina this week in Greensboro, Ala.

The group of 17 students and three faculty members are working in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity.

"We will be finishing some houses that are close to completion," said Sara Stonewater, coordinator for leadership and involvement at Southeast.

The trip is co-sponsored by the University Center and the Office of Residence Life and funded through University Center Leadership and the Residence Hall Association at Southeast.

Stonewater said the trip is designed to help students learn the value of leadership through service. She hopes students will be fulfilled, realizing that you "get more by giving than by receiving."

"Thirty percent of the population there is below the poverty line," she said, "so it's a high needs community."

Last week, Andrea Branum, a Southeast senior construction management major from Albion, Ill., said she is looking forward to the experience.

"It's going to be such a life-changing experience, and I hope I come back a better person because of it," she said.

Branum said her lifetime goal is work for Habitat for Humanity. This summer she has an internship working with Habitat for Humanity in Evansville, Ind. Branum says she hopes the spring break service trip, coupled with her summer internship, will lay the groundwork for a possible future with the company.

"I just hope it will give me the experience to apply to any Habitat affiliate," she says.

Students wishing to participate in the Habitat for Humanity spring break trip were asked to apply, Stonewater said.

"We had more applications than we had spots," she said. "It's hard to turn students away who want to use their break for service."