Katryn Conlin, Communications Director
[email protected], 651-385-6364

For Immediate Release

Boots are on the ground this fall with the debut of MSC Southeast's partnership with Habitat for Humanity in Winona

(Winona, MN) September 28, 2018 -- With the launch of the new Construction Technology program at Minnesota State College Southeast, Winona college students are getting hands-on experience on a large-scale commercial project -- and it's for a good cause. 

Mornings are spent in the classroom learning at the college, but afternoons you can find them working at the Habitat for Humanity Winona-Fillmore Counties job site renovating the future 8400 square foot ReStore and constructing a 1500 square foot addition to the building from the ground up. 

The completed project will unite Habitat's office operations, increase ReStore retail space, and add storage for construction materials on one central site. 

MSC Southeast students are currently at work most afternoons from 12:30-3:00 pm. Even though it's only their third week in college, they've already poured footings and foundations for the new Donation Dropoff and Processing Center. Currently backfilling is under way to prepare for the concrete floor. 

"Three weeks ago, most of these students didn't know what a footing was," says their instructor, Jonathan Powell. "Now they not only know what it is, they know how to pour one."

Amanda Hedlund is the executive director of Habitat for Humanity Winona-Fillmore Counties. She anticipates that the project will increase the organization's ReStore sales by more than $200,000 annually. "It's not just a short-term benefit. This partnership with Minnesota State College Southeast provides us with a ReStore expansion that will help us build and repair homes for decades to come." 

To visit the work site and interview Jonathan, Amanda, and the students, please call Katryn Conlin, MSC Southeast Communications Director ([email protected], 651-385-6364) or Amanda Hedlund ([email protected], 507-458-9370).

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About Minnesota State College Southeast 

Minnesota State College Southeast is a two-year technical and community college that prepares students for a lifetime of learning by providing education for employment, skill enhancement, retraining, and transfer, to meet the needs of students and the community. The Winona campus opened in 1949, merging with the Red Wing campus in 1992 and updating its name to Minnesota State College Southeast in 2016 with the change of mission to offer both technical training and the associate of arts degree. Minnesota State College Southeast is a member of Minnesota State. For more information, visit www.southeastmn.one.

About Habitat for Humanity Winona-Fillmore Counties 

Founded in 1994, Habitat for Humanity Winona-Fillmore Counties is a nonprofit organization that works toward a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Open to the public, the ReStore supports Habitat operations by selling new and gently used building materials and furniture. Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes. It was founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a decent, affordable place to live in dignity and safety. For more information, visit www.habitatwinona.org.