Following a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Clemson University campus chapter of Pickens County Habitat for Humanity is returning to Bowman Field for its traditional home build. The chapter’s 29th home build on campus will culminate during Clemson University Homecoming Weekend, sponsored by Founders Federal Credit Union.
The Clemson chapter is the only among Atlantic Coast Conference schools to build a Habitat for Humanity Home on its campus. The chapter was established in 1992 and includes more than 100 members. It is responsible for fundraising for the project and coordinating hundreds of volunteers each year.
Joseph DeSimone serves as chapter president and is excited to return the tradition to Bowman Field among the pageantry of Homecoming Weekend.
“It’s always fun to be out on Bowman when fraternities and sororities are building their floats,” said DeSimone, a senior biology major from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “When I was a freshman I went on a Spring Break mission trip and helped with a build and really enjoyed it. That helped introduce me to the service experience.”
The Clemson chapter will establish a framework for the home, including the installation of a roof and exterior walls, before it leaves campus for its final destination. DeSimone said the chapter still has volunteer slots remaining, and interested students, faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up. No construction experience is necessary.
Ted Moore serves on the board of directors for Pickens County Habitat for Humanity, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2021. Many of the county’s impactful projects have involved the Clemson campus chapter.
“Our 40th anniversary celebration will culminate with the building of this house on Clemson’s campus,” he said. “The campus chapter is doing things no other university does — they’re doing a lot of good.”