Evansville, Indiana (April 19, 2010) – By the end of the kickoff on Saturday, April 17, Indiana University alumni and students had erected all the exterior and interior walls on a Habitat home they are sponsoring in preparation of roof trusses going up today.

“It’s great to see so many people coming together to help me build my home,” Sonya Carter, the future homeowner, said during the kickoff. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The Greater Evansville Chapter of the Indiana University Alumni Association is teaming up with IU Cares to build a home for Carter, a single mother who works as a Lab technician at Mead Johnson. An Evansville native, Carter has two adult daughters, Kemisha, 30, and Maya, 19, who lives with her mother while she attends Roger’s Hair Academy.

“One of the most rewarding things is having my daughter and my brother help me with building my home,” Carter said.

All families must contribute 300 hours of sweat equity before they purchase their homes. Most families are still accumulating hours by the time Habitat begins their home. Carter, however, reached her 300 in November, a testament to her drive and dedication to the program.

“I’ve only moved three times in my life,” she said. “This will be the biggest move, because it is my very own.”

The IU Alumni Association already has raised $41,000 to build the home at 715 Sweetser Ave. The alumni and current students chose to sponsor a home after hearing about the Glenwood Community Development Initiative, a collaborative effort among many entities and investors to revitalize the Glenwood neighborhood.

“This project gives us the opportunity to fulfill many of the goals of our alumni chapter,” said Ken Wahl, president of the Indiana University Alumni Association - Evansville Chapter. “It provides the opportunity for current Indiana University students, alumni and friends of all ages and community leaders to participate together, physically and financially, in a project that promotes Indiana University. Most importantly it encourages us to work together on important community activities, Habitat of Evansville and the Glenwood Development Project.”

IU Cares is a program of the IU Alumni Association that links alumni with current students to work on projects that improve quality of life and help families in need throughout Indiana. Students and alumni will build the Habitat home.

The Greater Evansville Chapter of the IU Alumni Association is offering several incentives to donate. Anyone who donates $5,000 will receive a basketball signed by IU Coach Tom Crean and five chances to win a fantasy game package that includes tickets on the floor and assigned parking passes for a men’s basketball game or tickets to a football game with access to the Hoosier Hundred room. Every $1,000 will also have a chance to win one of these packages.

See more pictures from Saturday's kickoff here.