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Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter at Cookeville High Becomes Official Representatives from Putnam County Habitat for Humanity and Cookeville High School met the Cookeville High School Campus Chapter Board holding their charter. (left to right) Wayne Shanks (CHS Principal); Gayle Haggard, PCHFH; Will Harris, V-P; Megan James, President; Jordan Wilhite, Secretary; Dusty Baker, Treasurer; Mrs. Betty Suiter, Sponsor; and Randal Petrie, PCHFH Board President

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Cookeville High School recently received notice that its Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter has completed the requirements and is now an official Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI).

"This is an exciting step for the Cookeville High School Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity" says Kathi Johnson, Campus Chapter Manager for the MidAmerica HFH Region. "You have a great group of students who see the need to eliminate substandard housing in their community and world; and they're taking action to help make the dream of no substandard housing a reality. This is just the beginning. I'm looking forward to seeing great things come from this chapter."

The Campus Chapter began a few years ago with the leadership of Terry Scott and last year Betty Suiter accepted the responsibility of sponsoring the club.

"Two years ago, when the Habitat for Humanity chapter was looking for a new sponsor, I felt that this was an excellent opportunity for me to encourage high school students to get involved in a very worthwhile organization that would lead them to become life-long volunteers, as well as to provide a way for them to learn about, and give back to, their own community." said Suiter, a math teacher at CHS.

Campus Chapters engage young people to address the problem of poverty housing by raising awareness in their schools and community, and raising funds to build Habitat homes. From building with local affiliates to building in a distant state or country, Campus Chapters are making an impact in HFHI's work. In 2003 over $2 million was raised by campus chapters.

The first HFH Campus Chapter was formed sixteen years ago at Baylor University in Texas. While the majority of campus chapters are college based, high school chapters have been growing in popularity across the nation the past few years. Cookeville High School is just the fourth high school in Tennessee with a campus chapter at the High School level, and two of the four schools are private.

Randal Petrie, Board President of PCHFH believes the successful chapter reflects on our community as a whole. "It is very encouraging to see one of our local high schools get involved with Habitat for Humanity. It is even more exciting to know that CHS is only the fourth high school HFH chapter in the entire state of TN. It says a lot about the caliber of the young people we have in this community. At the same time, it is not too surprising when you realize how much their parents and neighbors in Putnam County have supported HFH" says Petrie.

The CHS Chapter members are regular volunteers on the jobsites and in the Habitat ReStore. Each April they participate in an annual advocacy program - Act! Speak! Build! Week, an international student-initiated week of advocating for affordable housing. Last year the members wore sandwich boards throughout the school campus showing facts about the work of HFHI and the critical need for affordable housing.

For more information on the CHS Chapter, call Suiter at 520-CAVS. For more information on the Application Fair or to learn how individuals, businesses, and churches can support PCHFH, call the office at 528-1711 or visit their website at pchabitat.org