VT-ENGAGE and the Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships at Virginia Tech are proud to support this project which is one in a series of Remembrance projects designed to continue the good work of those we lost in April of 2007. Each Remembrance project in some way improves and enhances the lives of others and plays a role in community building. These projects serve as a special way to work together, learn together, and remember through the process of serving others.

This project honors the memory of Erin Peterson (International Studies) whose hometown was Centreville, Virginia, by providing homes for five families in her community, improving their lives through the benefits of home ownership that would otherwise not be possible.

For more information, contact Karen Gilbert, Assistant Director of the Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships, engage@vt.edu or 540-231-0691.

Project leaders: Jon Butt, Chairman, Broker/Owner, Results Realty and Managing Member of Riverstone Builders, LLC, member of the Board of Directors of Loudoun Habitat for Humanity (Business--Finance and Management, 1982); John Kelly, CPA, Partner of Gurman and Company, PLLC (Accounting, 1981); Debbie Bauer (Business, 1980); Sean Milliken, Founder and Executive Director of MissionFish (Communication, 1991); Katherine (KC) Eady (Statistics, 2008); Judy Beattie (Durham), Director of Finance and Administration, NPES (Business Public Administration, 1983)

Project description: Five houses will be built in Erin's memory in cooperation with Loudoun Habitat for Humanity (www.loudounhabitat.org). These houses will be built in a new subdivision which, along with one of its streets, will be named in memory of Erin.

The location for this project is the land that surrounds 22032 Saint Louis Road in Middleburg, VA. Erin's family has roots in an adjacent community called Saint Louis, just outside of Middleburg. Construction on the five houses will begin in spring of 2009.

Fundraising efforts: Approximately $400,000 is needed to fund materials for four of the five houses. The materials for the fifth house are being sponsored by a local corporation. The main tool being used to fundraise is an on-line auction on eBay's MissionFish website.

You can help support this project by donating items to the on-line auction, purchasing something from the on-line auction, letting other people know about the on-line auction, or contributing a portion of your eBay sales to Loudoun Habitat for Humanity for this project. The web address for the on-line auction is: www.erinpetersonbuild.org.

How you can participate: Support the fundraising effort; volunteer your time to work on the houses beginning in the spring of 2009; participate in an alternate spring break project or summer session programs at the site plus internships and co-ops; faculty can use this project for a service learning experience as part of their course offering to students or use this project to conduct related engaged research; help with publicity; donate materials; provide housing for students working at the site during spring break or summer session; teach construction skills to volunteers; provide food for volunteers working at the site; contribute a special talent for a fundraising event or celebratory event related to this project; and many other possible volunteer options.

For more information:
Contact Person: Jon Butt
Contact Phone: 703-406-8928
Contact Email: erinpetersonbuild@yahoo.com
Facebook Group: Erin Peterson Build