Unique Among New York City Schools
On December 1, 2001, a group of Sacred Heart Upper School students, who participated in a yearlong process of creating an official chapter of Habitat for Humanity at Sacred Heart, received the news that their group was officially part of the international organization. Habitat for Humanity, begun in the 1970s by Millard and Linda Fuller and made internationally famous by the work of former president Jimmy Carter, provides access to decent, affordable housing to people around the world and has, since its inception, created more than 200,000 homes.
Seven years since the chapter was founded, the group is still going strong. In that time, the chapter, led by faculty advisors Mr. Michael Chung, Father John Kamas and Mr. Brad Dexter, Jason Vermillion, respectively, has sent groups of Upper School students to Bridgeport, CT, Yonkers, NY and several New York City neighborhoods, including Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Hollis. Additionally, the chapter's latest successes have come from initiating an "alternative spring break" trip to Appalachia to spend a week living simply and building homes in one of our nation's poorest and most neglected regions.
For students to participate on the building sites, they must be minimum 16 years of age. Students of all ages, however, are invited to participate in fundraising activities, attend the weekly meetings and assist in organizing and planning chapter events.
Convent of the Sacred Heart, 91st Street, considers its official chapter status with Habitat for Humanity to be a very special one. Currently, 91st Street is one of only three official high school chapters in New York City, in addition to the city's three university chapters. Maintaining chapter status is a thorough process, one that involves fundraising, advocacy, filing reports to local and national headquarters, and most importantly, hands-on building.
For questions about Sacred Heart's Habitat for Humanity chapter, please contact Mr. Michael Chung at (212) 722-4745, ext. 336 or mchung@cshnyc.org.