FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications (304) 696-7153
 

MU Early Education Center, Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity
to announce partnership by sponsoring inaugural event

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – In the past, the young children enrolled in the Marshall University Early Education Center (MUEEC) have constructed a playhouse on Marshall’s campus as one of their special projects.  This year’s playhouse, now under construction, will be a special one involving the Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity (HAHFH). 

At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, the MUEEC will host a photo opportunity at the Early Education Center playground to officially kick off the project.  Children who have been actively involved in construction of the house, MUEEC administrators and teachers, Habitat for Humanity executives and Marshall University officials will attend. 

On Tuesday, April 25, the playhouse will be auctioned off at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center, with the proceeds benefiting HAHFH.  The evening will be hosted by the MUEEC, in conjunction with the Fourth Annual Art Show and Auction. The art show will culminate with an event for the MUEEC families and campus community at which time the children’s art pieces will be sold at auction.

The Marshall University Early Education Center is a nationally accredited laboratory preschool dedicated to providing an exemplary early education program that fosters every child’s growth and development and provides an exceptional setting for preparing future teachers.   House construction is a recurrent theme for these children and reflects children’s interest in the immediate environment.  The MUEEC children have built two houses to date and are working on a third.

The center’s innovative and unique partnership with Habitat for Humanity has two goals: to advocate for the place-conscious, inquiry-based approach to young children’s learning and generate awareness for Habitat and the housing issues that face our community.

Beginning with this project, the MUEEC anticipates annual construction of a playhouse designed and constructed by the children to be donated to Habitat for Humanity.  Collaboration between families, staff and children of the MUEEC and Habitat will be a wonderful experience and opportunity for young children to positively impact their community.

“What these children are doing, and the effect that it will have on the community is truly amazing,” said Teddy Kluemper III, Director of Development and Communications with Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity. “We are so excited to be involved.”

Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit ecumenical organization whose mission is to partner with qualified low-income families in need by providing them safe, decent, and affordable housing.

For more information, persons may contact Clayton Burch, MUEEC director, at (304) 696-6301 or Burch1@marshall.edu, or Kluemper at (304) 523-4822 or Teddy@hahabitat.org.

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