SUMTER, S.C. — Students from colleges across the nation are swapping their spring breaks to help make a difference with Habitat for Humanity.
In Sumter this week, students from Wells College in New York and Roger Williams University in Rhode Island helped the Davis family build their new home.
"Right now, we live in an apartment and it's just like cramped space," Cynea Davis said. "Now, everybody has their own room, they have a yard, they have neighbors. It's a very exciting feeling."
Davis reached out to Habitat for Humanity last summer for help, and after being approved, says the result brought tears to her eyes.
"That was the same week as my birthday," Davis said. "That made me excited; that made me cry, but, it was an awesome feeling."
She and the students worked side-by-side to build her new home.
As one group of students left and another came, they left messages on wooden boards around the home sending well wishes.
"I'm speechless," Davis said. "Each note, means a lot because I didn't think I was going to be able to get in the program. They were happy to do it for me and my kids. It made an impression on me because it made me feel like they enjoyed doing what they do."
Davis says her home should be completed by the end of the summer. Mariah Tobias, a student, said she was just happy to be able to help.
"My goal when I graduated high school was that I wanted to make a difference in the world," Tobias said. "There's no better feeling than knowing that you're going to be a part of the house that those children are going to grow up in."
If you would like to volunteer or apply for help with Habitat for Humanity, click here to visit their website. You can also learn more about Sumter's branch of the organization, by clicking here.