Build A House…Build A Dream Contest

A BIG thank you to parents, family, friends, and teachers for supporting your future engineers, architects, builders, and designers at our 20th annual Build a House…Build a Dream contest on March 11, 2023, at the Church Farm School in Exton, PA!

During this competition, fifth-grade students from the Delaware Valley worked individually or in teams to build their own three-dimensional model dream home. The model homes were then judged by professional architects, engineers, and builders at the contest.

The Build a House Build a Dream contest aims to introduce the students to what Habitat for Humanity does as an organization. Although they aren’t able to help at the construction site yet, they can learn about the importance of affordable housing at a young age and what they can do in the future to help their neighbors in need.

To celebrate our 20th year, we had a total of 59 exceptional students enter the competition and create a total of 48 creative model dream homes. We saw plenty of intricate designs imagined by beautiful minds! The students enjoyed working together and watching their creations come to life. Check out some of the designs below.

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In first place in the competition, we have Aniuta and Nidhi! In second place, we have Arnav; in third place, we have Callie! The fan-favorite award goes to Siona.

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“Raising the Roof” Book Signing with Ellen Langas Campbell.

Ellen Langas Campbell, author of the Girls Know How book series, graciously attended our event to sign 100 copies of her book for the kids. Ellen created the Girls Know How series to inspire young readers to explore and pursue the careers of their dreams. The four-book series was named Book Series of 2021 by the national Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work® Foundation. In addition to being available at www.GirlsKnowHow.com and www.qvc.com, they have donated more than 4000 copies to individuals and families in need throughout Chester County and the region. Thank you, Ellen, for joining us at the event!

Emcee Katy Zachry from NBC10 News Today

Katy Zachry from NBC10 News Today was an amazing event emcee! Katy is a reporter and fill-in anchor for NBC10. You can watch her reporting weekday mornings on NBC10 News Today. We’re so grateful that she was able to carve out time in her schedule to brighten up the event with her talent and smile.

Judges

Thank you to our outstanding judges who donated their time to participate in this event. Your expertise inspires the youth to dream big. Stacey H. Ballard, the President/CEO of Eadeh Enterprises, said, “Seeing the creativity and thoughtfulness of these student designers is incredibly inspiring!! Their insights, planning, and care for the community and the earth give me hope that their future is in good hands!!” And Andy Signore, a Board member of Habitat for Humanity of Chester County, said, “This is my seventh judging assignment, and they have been uniformly interesting and rewarding. Judging the spirited fifth-grader contestants reinforces my faith in America. These bright kids are committed to going the extra mile and participating in such projects. They will make great future leaders.”

Sponsors

Lastly, thank you to our corporate sponsors who helped make this event possible! Fox & Roach Trident Charities, Bentley Systems, EADEH Enterprises, Saint-Gobain, Signature, RKL, Martin Architectural, Dovetail Group LLC, McMahon, Daniel T. Campbell AIA architect, Kitty and Gary Knox, NBC 10, Home Depot, Church Farm School, and Giant Martins.

Everyone involved in making this event a success helps Habitat for Humanity of Chester County empower families to achieve strength, stability, and independence through affordable homeownership. Thank you for continuing to support this event for the past 20 years. You help us continue building and developing resilient communities.

See the album of photos from the event here.