When looking for a community service project, State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball sophomore Philesha Teape wanted to do something different, something she had never done before. So when she came across Habitat for Humanity, she thought it was the perfect opportunity for her and her teammates to try something new.

"I was looking to do something that was different than a lot of other things people do when they volunteer," Teape said. "This stood out to me because you are building homes. I've never did that before and I was like, "How can I build a hose for family in need?""

On Jan. 10, Teape organized a trip with her and her teammates to Newburgh, NY and worked alongside fellow Habitat for Humanity volunteers, aiding in the construction of a new community.

No one on the Hawks had previous construction experience, so when they first set foot on site they were admittedly overwhelmed. However, they soon were split up into different groups and helped in re-constructing stairs for one home.

"When we got there at first it was a little overwhelming, because there was a lot of people there. A lot of construction workers and there were mostly volunteers," Teape said. "[Our supervisor] made it less overwhelming by giving us specific jobs… It was a lot of fun and people were really nice… They gave us a hammer – one of the guys even gave us a saw. They were just really nice and were trying to make us do as much as we can. I loved it."

With sledge-hammer in hand, each member took turns helping to demolish the old staircase to make room for the new. As Teape said, it was an experienced they will always remember.

"We all felt like we were doing something bigger than ourselves," she said. "It kind of felt like it took us away from basketball. There is so much more out there and it felt good at the end of the day. Like yeah, it was freezing cold out there, we all looked passed that. We were into this and whoever has this house, even though they might not know us, we put something into that and that was all that mattered to us."

During the winter the women's basketball team helped cook food, wrap presents and even paint at a local rehabilitation center, they've now worked for Habitat for Humanity and are setting up another community service project before their season is over.

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