INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA, in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity International® and the Pensacola Habitat for Humanity affiliate, will extend its arm in community service to help build six homes for needy families in hurricane-affected Pensacola, Fla.  The build will take place November 15-19, during the Division II National Championship Festival.

The build is part of the NCAA’s Home Team partnership with Habitat for Humanity International®.  The build will be the largest to date (in number of total homes) and the second build that directly involves a hurricane-affected area.  The NCAA completed construction on a home in Baton Rouge, La., earlier this year.

“This is a great opportunity to help the Pensacola community rebuild and to bring a major NCAA championship event to the area,” said Terri Steeb, director of NCAA Division II.   “The Pensacola community has opened its arms to the NCAA and we hope that both the build and the festival will be positive events for student-athletes, our members, the volunteers and the University of West Florida.  Not only will you see championship caliber competition during the festival, but you’ll also see individuals giving back in terms of their time and effort with the Habitat build in this Division II community,” Steeb said.

NCAA student-athletes, administrators, coaches and local volunteers will help build the houses.  Construction on three of the six homes will take place at Brosnaham Park, the site of the soccer and field hockey championships during the Division II Sports Festival.  For these homes, volunteers will fabricate the interior and exterior wall panels.  The wall panels will be moved to their final sites on Johnson Avenue for completion by local volunteers.

For the other three homes, student-athletes and other volunteers will go to Johnson Avenue to build the houses on their foundations.  During the build, volunteers will finish a substantial portion of the exteriors of these houses.

“The need for decent affordable housing in our area is tremendous as we continue to rebuild from recent hurricanes,” said Betty Salter, executive director of Pensacola Habitat for Humanity.   “The sponsorship of just one Habitat home is a blessing, so receiving help to build six homes brings our organization overwhelming joy.  So many families will be helped by the efforts of NCAA.  Building a house is really tough work, and it is wonderful to see young college students so willing to help complete strangers.  All of these athletes are already champions to Pensacola Habitat,” said Salter.

This will be the second NCAA Home Team build at a Division II national championship. There have been NCAA Home Team build sites at several NCAA championships, including the 2006 Men’s Final Four (Indianapolis), the 2005 Division I-AA Football Championship (Chattanooga), the 2006 Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming Championships (Indianapolis), and a build in Knoxville, Tennessee in conjunction with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Induction weekend.  

The NCAA Division II National Championship Festival will feature 70 NCAA teams, which include more than 800 student-athletes vying for NCAA titles in men’s and women’s cross country, women’s field hockey, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer.  The event, which is structured similar to an Olympic-type event, will be held over a period of five days in the same geographical location.  Partnering with the NCAA on the Division II National Championship Festival are the University of West Florida and the Pensacola Sports Association.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 360,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 49,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports.  

Division II is a level of competition within the NCAA that permits student-athletes with a unique opportunity to become complete students-individuals who can continue to develop high-level athletics skills while also benefiting from a traditional college experience.  There are 290 colleges and universities in Division II.  For more information, visit www.ncaa.org.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International, based in Americus, Georgia, is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since 1976, Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses in nearly 100 countries, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1 million people. For more information, visit www.habitat.org.