By By Kerry Whipple Bean – publisher
A fixer-upper house in small-town Alabama is hardly the choice of most college students on a vacation.
That didn't stop five University of Toledo students from making their way south during winter break to help out at the latest Habitat for Humanity house in Brewton.
The students - all members of the Habitat for Humanity chapter at their school - spent four days painting for the ongoing project, which is actually a renovation of an existing house next to the latest new Habitat homes on Conoley Avenue.
Dunsmore, president of the Habitat chapter at her school, has been involved with the organization for about three years.
A novice at construction and renovation before she joined Habitat, Dunsmore has worked on projects as varied as laying a foundation to painting.
On Thursday afternoon, she scraped trim at the Conoley Avenue house while her fellow students - including husband Todd Dunsmore - painted cabinet doors and other areas of the house.
Longtime Brewton Habitat volunteers helped out with the project.
A second wave of students from Western Kentucky will be in town later this month to work on the project, Brewton Habitat Director Alecia Glaize said.
And a group of high school students from Boston have volunteered to come to Brewton to work on Habitat projects in March, she said.
Local volunteers are also still needed. Call the Habitat for Humanity office at 867-0095 for information.
Later this month, Brewton's Habitat chapter will host a fundraising basketball game between the Harlem Ambassadors and the &#8220Habitat Hammers.” The game will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 at T.R. Miller High School gym. Advance tickets are $5 for seniors and students and $7 for adults. Call the Habitat office for more information.