By Caitlyn Maltese
Student Life Editor
Over fall break, 17 members of Washington College’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity worked restoration projects in Salem County, New Jersey. They were accompanied by their advisor Maria Hynson and two WC Alumni, Elizabeth Spears, class of ‘91, and Shawn Issenegger, class of ’15.
First they worked at Habitat for Humanity ReStore, a home improvement and donation center that sells new and used furniture and home supplies. According to their website, the proceeds are “used to help build strength, stability, self-reliance and shelter in local communities and around the world.”
Then they worked on reconstructing a deck in order to make it handicapped accessible. According to the president of the club, Erika Koontz, the deck was 1200 square feet when completed.
“Removing the boards from the deck was probably the hardest part because they were hard to do and very tiring,” Kaitlyn Peacock, a member of the club, said.
As they removed more and more boards, they had to find a way to get positioned so that their weight was still supported by the remaining boards. The task was very physically demanding. In addition, the majority of the wood was warped
“But it all worked out because everyone worked together and helped each other when needed,” said Benjamin Cooper, vice president 
of the club, who was in charge of organizing the trip.
The hard work didn’t keep them from having a good time.
“For me, my favorite part of the trip was stepping back for a few water breaks and watching everyone on my team working hard and having fun. Those moments make the hard work of planning a trip worth it,” Koontz said.
“Being a part of Habitat is such an interesting and amazing experience. I love working with my fellow students and seeing how much we can accomplish in a short amount of time,” Andrea Freeman, a junior who has been on three projects during school breaks, said.