March 30, 2007 – ATLANTA – Several Morehouse athletes traded their jerseys and athletic shoes for hammers and hard hats, to help Habitat for Humanity build a home for a Hurricane Katrina evacuee.

As part Atlanta’s Final Four celebration, the NCAA partnered with Habitat and Lowe’s to build two houses for Habitat partner families. Students from Morehouse and other Atlanta-area colleges volunteered for the project that took place in Centennial Olympic Park.

The Morehouse team was led by Dr. Robert Wilson, chair of the Department of Health and Physical Education.

"It was great to see the Morehouse student-athletes working on the NCAA build during the men's final four basketball championships,” said Larrie Del Martin, Atlanta Habitat Executive Director. “What an amazing contribution!"

Under the guidance of trained professional, the student-athletes helped construct the home’s wooden frame. Once completed, the frame would be assembled in the park and relocated to an Atlanta community for permanent placement.

Though it took a little practice and some coaching, the self-professed “city boys” quickly mastered swinging hammers and driving nails. Working as a team, the athletes from various sports, constructed the inner- and outer-walls of what would become a three-bedroom house.

The house that Team Morehouse worked on was intended for Chalonda Simpson, a former Xavier University student who fled hurricane-ravaged New Orleans with her one-year-old son, Domonique. The mom and son relocated to Atlanta and Ms. Simpson completed her degree at Georgia State University.

“We bounced around through four states before settling in Atlanta,” Simpson said. “We didn’t know we would be out of a home for so long. It will be nice to finally have a permanent place to live.”

Founded in 1983 Atlanta Habitat has built 888 homes in the Atlanta area, providing quality living for more than 3,000 residents.

A video of the home-build is currently posted on the NCAA web site (www.ncaa.org) and shows the Morehouse students at work. It includes a sound bite by senior football player Michael Robinson, telling why he got involved in the project.

The student-athletes who volunteered in the project:
Senior Timothy Alford -- Football
Junior Marlon Ferguson -- Basketball
Sophomore Joseph Hines -- Basketball
Junior Richie Jones -- Football
Junior Carlos King -- Football
Senior Michael Robinson -- Football
Senior Ross Thompson -- Football
Junior James Steadman – Football and Baseball