Six members of UF’s Delta Nu Zeta service sorority chapter will be participate in Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge in Asheville, N.C., from March 3 to March 8.
The challenge is an alternative break program that gives groups the opportunity to spend a week helping with Habitat’s effort of eliminating poverty housing in a community.
“We’ll be building for five days. We’ll be putting in drywall, painting, roofing,” said vice president of community service Amber Paoloemilio. “We wanted to go to Asheville to help out a new community while still staying close to home.”
Paoloemilio, a 22-year-old UF women’s studies and Spanish senior, said this will be the first time the sorority will leave the state for a service project.
“I always wanted to do a service trip during Spring Break,” said 21-year-old nursing junior and sister Wanda Fritz. “Since I’m doing it with my sisters, I feel more comfortable going there.”
Mina Radman, founder and vice president of communications, said the sorority provides more than 100 scheduled hours of service a semester for members to choose from.
“We’re heavily service-focused,” Radman said. “It’s not the traditional way college students spend their Spring Break.”
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 2/18/2014 under the headline "Service sorority heading to Asheville"]
