Students are off to work, volunteering to build houses for families in need during their school breaks.

The program is called “Collegiate Challenge.”

It is the nation’s largest alternative spring break program. The program begins Oct. 24 and runs through June 2006.

Students can sign up at www. habitat.org and join more than 12,000 students for Habitat for Humanity International’s College Challenge.

Collegiate Challenge is funded primarily by the student participants. Every student must pay a per-person contribution to their host affiliate. 

This contribution, which ranges from $10 to $200 per person for the week helps to supplement the cost of building the houses.

Students must also pay a $15 per-person program fee, which covers the cost of supplemental accident insurance.

Additionally, students are responsible for providing all of their own food and transportation during the week.  Simple housing will be provided by the host affiliate.

Collegiate Challenge is Habitat for Humanity’s year-round program that can serve as an alternative school break for students.

“It provides opportunities for students from youth groups, high schools and colleges to spend a week of their school break building a house in partnership with a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the United States,” said Alynn Woodson, collegiate challenge manager for Habitat for Humanity International.

The Collegiate Challenge program has been in existence since 1989. One thousand students participated the first year.

“Last year, students made a remarkable difference by spending one week of their time helping families,” Woodson said. “In exchange for a week of hard work and new experiences, they leave with a new bond of friendship and sense of accomplishment that is hard to equal.”

Last year, more than 12,800 participants joined 864 teams comprised of small groups from fraternities, sororities, youth clubs and Habitat for Humanity campus chapters.

Even though spring break is a popular time for students to take alternative break trips, interested groups can visit the Habitat Web site for information on fall, winter and summer trips.

Habitat for Humanity International has affiliates in more than 3,000 communities in nearly 100 nations and has built and sold more than 200,000 homes to partner families with no-profit, zero interest mortgages.

Habitat for Humanity builds simple, decent houses. The houses built will vary on square footage based on local building codes and the size of the family in need.

The program is open to groups of five or more, ages 16 and older.

The Web site not only offers the chance to register but information on trip guidelines and a list of build site locations for the program.

Woodson requests that students register 2-3 months in advance of their school break week. This is done to allow time for the host affiliate and sites to make preparations for their arrival.