abitat for Humanity is in the business of building houses for people who need them. In order to do that, they are first building houses for birds.

More than 50 Western students worked since September to build birdhouses to sell at the university’s fourth Annual Holiday Bazaar to raise money for the materials they need to provide someone with a home.

The bazaar – an arts and crafts fair of sorts – will be from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. tomorrow on the third floor of Downing University Center. There will be free refreshments, and from 10:45-11:45 a.m. students can have their picture taken with Big Red for $1. The proceeds will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Western students from nearly every major, and even some from the Glasgow campus, helped in constructing three different types of birdhouses to be sold tomorrow – unfinished ones for $10, painted ones for $15 and some painted with shingles for $20.

Western’s Habitat for Humanity president Rebecca Wieck, a Nashville junior, said the organization sold several of the birdhouses during Homecoming but still has more than 100 available.

“The whole purpose of Habitat is to build houses, and because we’re a campus chapter we don’t have the manpower and funding to build a full house like the larger affiliates do,” she said. “So with this project we’re still building houses, just on a much smaller scale in hope of raising the funds to build a house for a family.”

Wieck said many students – some members of Habitat for Humanity, some not – were involved in the fundraiser. Resident advisers brought groups of students from several dorms. A professor brought at least one university experience class to help, and many MASTER Plan students also participated, she said.

Bryan Reaka, co-adviser of Habitat and assistant professor in the architectural and manufacturing science department, said it’s the group’s first time trying this sort of fundraiser.

“Our big goal is to have an international building trip to Jamaica to correspond with the centennial anniversary of Western in 2006,” Reaka said.

So far this semester, the campus chapter has worked on several local building projects. In over four work days, they have landscaped property, insulated and walled a couple of houses and built a shed for one Habitat for Humanity home.

In addition to the birdhouses; handmade soaps, jewelry, candy, embroidery, Mary Kay and gourmet teas and coffee will also be for sale at the bazaar.

Kim Sowders, office manager at DUC and coordinator for the event, said nearly 30 local businesses contributed door prizes that will be given away throughout the day. They include gift certificates to a number of restaurants, Western apparel and accessories and free passes to various entertainment venues such as Six Flags, the Corvette Museum and the Lincoln Amphitheater.

Sowders said there are 28 vendors participating – some with as many as four tables each.

Western’s Ceres Women’s Fraternity will be selling cookbooks the group put together last spring and candy at their booth Friday. Some of the group’s proceeds will go to the Susan B. Coleman Foundation to help raise breast cancer awareness.

Hodgenville sophomore, Allison Tyree, will also participate in Friday’s fair. She said she and her mother will sell a variety of craft items, such as Christmas ornaments, homemade pillows, sachets and candles, to make a little extra spending money.

“I’m really excited about it,” she said. “My mom’s coming in and we get to spend the day together, and just to have the opportunity to do this on campus is great because I haven’t heard of this anywhere else.”

Reach Natasha Allen at features@wkuherald.com.