Habitat for Humanity of Chester County celebrated its 20th annual Build a House… Build a Dream contest on March 11, 2023 with many parents, family, friends, and teachers who supported their future engineers, architects, builders, and designers at the Church Farm School in Exton.

During this competition, fifth-grade students from the Delaware Valley worked individually or in teams to build their own three-dimensional model dream home. The model homes were then judged by professional architects, engineers, and builders at the contest. 

The Build a House, Build a Dream contest aims to introduce the students to what Habitat for Humanity does as an organization. Although they aren’t able to help at the construction site yet, they can learn about the importance of affordable housing at a young age and what they can do in the future to help their neighbors in need. 

To celebrate its 20th year, 59 exceptional students enter the competition and create a total of 48 creative model dream homes. The students enjoyed working together and watching their creations come to life.

First place in the competition went to Aniuta and Nidhi. Arnav was in second place, and third place went to Callie. The fan-favorite award went to Siona. 

Ellen Langas, author of Girls Know How book series, graciously attended the event to sign 100 copies of her book for the kids. Langas created the Girls Know How series to inspire young readers to explore and pursue the careers of their dreams. The four-book series was named Book Series of 2021 by the national Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Foundation. They have donated more than 4000 copies to individuals and families in need throughout Chester County and the region.

Katy Zachry from NBC10 News Today was the event emcee. Zachry is a reporter and fill-in anchor for NBC10. You can watch her reporting weekday mornings on NBC10 News Today. Habitat was grateful that she was able to carve out time in her schedule to brighten up the event with her talent and smile. 

Additionally, Habitat thanks the outstanding judges who donated their time to participate in this event. Stacey H. Ballard, President and CEO of Eadeh Enterprises said, “Seeing the creativity and thoughtfulness of these student designers is incredibly inspiring! Their insights, planning, and care for the community and the earth give me hope that their future is in good hands!”

Andy Signore, a board member of Habitat for Humanity of Chester County, said, “This is my seventh judging assignment, and they have been uniformly interesting and rewarding. Judging the spirited fifth-grader contestants reinforces my faith in America. These bright kids are committed to going the extra mile and participating in such projects. They will make great future leaders.”  

Lastly, Habitat thanks the corporate sponsors who helped make this event possible: Fox & Roach Trident Charities, Bentley Systems, EADEH Enterprises, Saint-Gobain, Signature, RKL, Martin Architectural, Dovetail Group LLC, McMahon, Daniel T. Campbell AIA architect, Kitty and Gary Knox, NBC10, Home Depot, Church Farm School, and Giant Martins. 

Everyone involved in making this event a success helps Habitat for Humanity of Chester County empower families to achieve strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. Habitat thanks everyone for continuing to support this event for the past 20 years. You help continue building and developing resilient communities. 

Learn more at Habitat for Humanity of Chester County.