The second Annual Studs and Suds event brings businesses, organizations, and individuals together to support the Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio’s efforts to make the American Dream possible for a local family.
The event was held at The American Legion Post No. 29 on the evening of Friday, June 7. Music, food, and drinks were available for all in attendance.
The Studs and Suds event provides the opportunity for sponsors to purchase a stud or set of studs to decorate at the event making it a fun colorful collaborative experience for all involved. All painted studs will be used in the fall to frame the walls of the next Habitat house in Zanesville. The event is amazing in that it not only allows sponsors to donate money but to also be a part of a local family’s new home.
“We have to raise a lot of money to build these homes. It costs right about $120,000 to $140,000 to build a home so one way that we can keep these homes affordable for our partner families is by having fundraisers,” explained Melissa Best, Community Engagement Director for Muskingum, Morgan, and Noble counties.
Studs and Suds is the first of two large annual fundraising events where the community can get involved and help with a great cause. Later in the fall Habitat for Humanity of SEO will host Project Playhouse which allows sponsors to build a playhouse for a local family in need. All of those sponsors were in attendance at the Studs and Suds event. In addition, there were other supporters and organizations including Boy Scouts who were painting 30 studs that The Eagles sponsored for the event.
“It’s really nice for the partner families to see that people care about them and that the community is here and that they care,” stated Best.
This is technically the third year doing something like this. However, for the first year, there was not an event. Instead, sponsors were able to sponsor studs, pick them up, and take them to their place of business to paint them.
“We thought why not have an event and come together as a community and enjoy doing something good while having the companionship and the networking that comes from an event like this,” said Best.
Local artist Allison Weeks painted two murals across five studs. The front side featured an American flag and a bald eagle. On the back was a painting of the outside of one of the Habitat homes. She was also on-site to help any of the sponsors that needed help.
Best added, “I’ve got a lot of great people that are supporting this initiative and I am so grateful. I always say it takes a community to build a community and we live in a blessed community for sure.”
For more information on Habitat for Humanity SEO visit https://habitatseo.org/.
