Residents of Biddle Hall on East Green will be seeking revenge Saturday and Sunday during Cardboard City, Habitat for Humanity’s annual fundraiser held in the Morton Hall parking lot.
A group of students last year from the hall built a shelter in the shape of a pirate ship — named “Helen’s Revenge.” The structure was enough to place them as runners up in the best shelter competition but fell short of the first-place victory.
This year’s group of students, with last year’s second-place finish still fresh in mind, are aiming for the win.
In the event, teams from Ohio University and around Athens County take donations and then design a shelter made out of cardboard to sleep in for the night.
Together the shelters make a “city.”
But before they get comfy in the shelters for the night, awards are given to the groups with the highest donations and best designs.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Sarah Vaughn, resource development director for Athens County Habitat for Humanity and event coordinator. “Building your own house takes you back to building (a) fort when you were a kid … it’s a great way to show what you’re passionate about.”
Last year, sponsors and participants at the event raised over $12,000 for the organization, Vaughn said. “This year we’re shooting for $15,000.”
Some groups are competitive and put forth a lot of thought and creativity.
Erin Maloney, Biddle Hall council member, said her team wanted to build a shelter that would be unique.
“Everyone builds a house or a castle,” Maloney said. “But who thinks, ‘let’s build a pirate ship’?”
This year, the team is planning a shelter that it hopes will fare even better in the competition.
“Obviously the main goal is to have fun doing it and learn something, but getting first place doesn’t hurt either,” Maloney said.
According to Ryan Altenbach, a Biddle Hall resident, the group has been tossing around ideas of building a shelter in the shape of a train or a rocket ship.
“We’ll do something more interesting than just some boxes thrown together,” he said.
But more important than a win, according to Altenbach, is that Cardboard City is a learning experience.
“It really raised my awareness,” he said. “Some people live like this every day.”
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