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HWS Row for Humanity a success
February 6, 2003
GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ crew teams and the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity recently partnered up to raise $23,548.20 in the Colleges’ first Row for Humanity fundraiser held on Jan. 29. A portion of the proceeds from the event will help fund Habitat’s spring break trip and its ultimate goal of building an HWS Habitat House.
Headed by William Smith Head Crew Coach Sandra Chu, a group of 79 participants rowed a total of 754,314 meters.
“Raising over $23,000 in our first year is tremendous,” Chu said. “I was so impressed with everyone’s energy level on Wednesday. The rowers were excited to be sharing their sport with the community and the Habitat members did an outstanding job rowing for an hour.”
Each participant rowed for a continuous hour on an ergometer, raising dollars for their efforts. Hobart and William Smith students who are members of Habitat for Humanity rowed exclusively for Habitat, while members of the Colleges’ crew teams shared a portion of their proceeds with Habitat.
“I thought our first Row for Humanity went really well,” sophomore Alicia Pagan, Habitat for Humanity co-President, said. “Everyone seemed to get into the rowing whether or not they were members of the crew teams.
“The money we raised will help to cover our costs for this year’s spring break trip to build houses in rural Pennsylvania,” Pagan said. “We’re hoping that the money we have left over from this year’s event combined with the profits from future Row for Humanity fundraisers will amount to enough to help us achieve our dream of building an HWS Habitat House from scratch.”
Founded in 1995 by Kansas State University students Seiji Ikeda and Jim Barnard, Row for Humanity combines the efforts of the crew teams and the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity in a unique indoor rowing marathon.
“I feel that everyone involved, from our sponsors, to our volunteers, to our participants, gave a top-level performance,” Chu said. “I’m confident that we’ve started a great tradition at HWS and we thank K-State for sharing their ideas.”