SUMMIT, N.J. (October 25, 2011) – On Sunday afternoon the Drew baseball team traded in its gloves and bats for hard hats and table saws to help out The Morris Habitat for Humanity. The student-athletes spent the entire day on a construction site in Summit that will soon be affordable housing for low-income families.

The Ranger baseball team spent the majority of the day caulking and sealing the inside of the housing units and framing the garage of one of the houses. The Morris Habitat for Humanity is building a two-story six-plex of for-sale condominiums on Morris Avenue near Orchard Street and the historic Wallace Chapel AME Zion Church. Each unit will consist of a single-level townhouse with two or three bedrooms, living room, dining room and two bathrooms.

The initiative was put forth by Head Coach Brian Hirschberg who has participated in the Habitat for Humanity campaign before.

“It was an easy decision for us,” said Hirschberg who arranged for his players to participate. “For us it was a huge team bonding experience and also gave the guys an opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and influence those who are less fortunate in a positive way.”
Many of the student-athletes never engaged in any type of construction like this before and had to learn on the job.

“Going into it, we weren't sure what to expect,” said junior first baseman Justin Mancini. “By the end of the day the guys got the hang of it and it went surprisingly very smooth.”

Asked on what kind of impact the day put on the players, Mancini added that the hard day's work really put things in perspective for them and many of his teammates talked about coming back on their own.

Hirschberg and the Rangers hope to get back to the job site one more time as a team before they open up the season in the spring.
For more information on the housing project itself and how to get involved visit: http://www.morrishabitat.org/