Hello, former (but forever loved) UHS Habitat participants!

This is a message from the Habitat team at Urbana High School: still here, still loading vans, still introducing students to power tools, Kool-Aid pickles, sing-alongs, and sparklers. As we pass the milestone of having brought over 200 students to the Delta, we’ve realized how much we’ve been missing out by not staying more connected with all of you.

Serving as sponsors for this program remains one of the most meaningful (and joy-filled) parts of our work, and we’re continually grateful for the chance we had to be part of your high school years. Again and again, we hear that Habitat shaped lives in ways that lasted well beyond graduation, and we want to honor that.

Yes, reconnecting may occasionally include updates about fundraising, but our deeper purpose is to continue the sense of community that made this experience so powerful. We’d love to share what’s happening now, both in Tutwiler and on local build sites, and invite you to reflect on how the spirit of Habitat might still be alive in your life today. Whether that means financial support, storytelling, hands-on service, or simply a renewed sense of purpose in your own community, we want to make space for all of it.

Please take a moment to fill out our (very short) Google Form. We’d love to know where you are, what you’re up to, and how we might stay in touch. If you’re still in contact with any other former participants, we’d be grateful if you passed this along.

We hope you’re doing well. And we’re still so glad you were part of this — and maybe still are.

So be it and amen.