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Building Blue and True

Duke and UNC athletes unite for Habitat for Humanity

Anna Farias-Eisner helped organize work on a fitness trail for Habitat for Humanity.

There are many ways Anna Farias-Eisner could spend her limited free time. The 21-year-old Duke junior could study for her classes and the degree she is pursuing in biological anthropology and anatomy. Or, as co-captain of the Duke women's cross country and track and field teams, she could prepare for another weekend track meet.

 

Instead, she's using much of her time to lead her fellow Duke athletes and coaches on a mission to help the less fortunate in east Durham through "Build Blue and True," a campaign she started last year to help Habitat for Humanity. Since then, these volunteers have been painting, mixing cement, pounding nails, sawing wood and doing whatever else is asked of them at a 31-home community, aptly titled Hope Crossing.

 

"This means so much to see people who are less fortunate be able to have a better house," Farias-Eisner says. "Some of us were there for the presentation for the families. It was really moving." 

 

Now, in a move that may shock rabid Blue Devils fans and local sports talk radio, "Build Blue and True" is adding a lighter shade Tar Heel blue. Athletes and coaches from UNC-Chapel Hill have agreed to work on a fitness trail at Hope Crossing alongside their Duke rivals. Farias-Eisner and UNC swimmer Kelly Woodruff are also organizing a 5K run for later this year or spring 2009 to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

 

Athletes from both schools say they welcome the opportunity to lay aside their intense rivalry to help fellow Triangle residents in need.

 

"Even though we compete on the court and the field, we're all working hard for the same cause," Farias-Eisner says. "When it comes down to it, you have to keep everything in perspective in life."

 

Woodruff, a UNC senior, says she and some of her teammates had previously worked with Habitat for Humanity on a home in Wake County. For her, planning the 5K run and whacking down bushes and clearing debris for the 6-foot-wide trail makes a good deed even more special because the two schools are working together.

 

"We always see each other in competition and see each other at different sporting events," Woodruff says. "It will really be good to get going and give back to the community that's given so much to us."

 

Duke and UNC athletics officials say a united project like this can build bonds among teammates and send a positive message to fans.

 

"Obviously, we're helping the people we're building the house for, but we're also helping students to go out in the community to see who's living out there and immersing ourselves in the community," says Rob Ockenfuss, student-athlete development intern at UNC.

 

Working hard for Durham residents rather than for athletic bragging rights and Atlantic Coast Conference standings will also build sportsmanship among the participants, says Leslie Barnes, director of student-athlete development at Duke.

 

This past December, 25 Duke athletes, including swimmers, golfers and members of tennis, field hockey, lacrosse, rowing and cheerleading teams, worked to finish by Christmas some of the initial nine homes at Hope Crossing.

 

All 13 members of the men's golf team and their coaches were among the volunteers, says Bryce Mueller, a Duke senior and golfer. Helping others was rewarding and working as a team was a nice change since golf is such an individual sport, Mueller says.

 

"I wouldn't call any of us expert carpenters," he says. "There's an element of teamwork just to keep ourselves safe over there, like ‘you hold this board and I'll cut it.'"

 

Joyce Ragland and her three young daughters moved into their two-story home in early January. She and her children are already making friends with their neighbors. She says the roughly 1,000-foot trail, which will include flowers, benches and exercise stations, will make the community even better.

 

"I can't wait for the trail," Ragland says. "It's very quiet out here, it's wonderful. I'm so excited to be a homeowner as well."

 

Habitat for Humanity says Hope Crossing is the first affordable "green" community in North Carolina, one where water conservation, energy-efficiency and eco-friendly designs are a priority. A playground and a community garden are also planned to encourage residents to get outside and develop friendships.

 

Chuck Flink, president of Durham-based Greenways, Inc., says his company was initially approached about working on the fitness trail. But he soon had bigger ideas.

 

"When we got involved we said there's a greater opportunity because we're building a community," he says. "Why not build a green neighborhood? We wanted to create a place where kids could get out and explore nature and the outdoors."

 

Construction on the first nine homes began in May 2007. Another 11 homes are planned for construction this year, with the entire project due to be completed in late 2009, says Mitzi Viola, director of development at the local Habitat for Humanity.

 

One of the Hope Crossing houses will be the 200th home built by Habitat for Humanity of Durham. Viola says Duke hands have been crucial to the nonprofit's success here.

 

"We've broken ground on almost 200 homes in Durham and there are few that Duke students have not participated in," Viola says. "We've been really blessed in Durham."