A little more than a year since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, the NCAA and Habitat for Humanity are attempting to restore a sense of normalcy one nail at a time.

The Association’s "Home Team" partnership with the internationally known charitable organization celebrates its first birthday this month. The NCAA and Habitat collaborated on the first build last December at the Division I Football Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Shortly after Katrina and then Rita blew through the coastal regions of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, the NCAA sought a special way to make a difference in relief efforts. The Association found it in its relationship with Habitat for Humanity International, in which, one nail at a time, houses are being built and dedicated to those displaced by the storm.

Behind a lead gift of $1 million from Division II, the Association donated a total of $2.5 million and entered a three-year agreement with Habitat for Humanity that will run through 2008.

Lynne Allen, a former project manager for corporate development at Habitat, said 16 homes will have been built through the partnership by the time the 2007 Men’s and Women’s Final Fours take place in Atlanta and Cleveland, respectively.

The first year of the relationship included a "Blitz Build" conducted at the Division II National Championships Festival November 16-18 in Pensacola, Florida. Student-athletes from participating teams helped construct six homes in an area that was affectionately called "the NCAA Neighborhood."

Charles Ambrose, president of Pfeiffer University and chair of the Division II Presidents Council, witnessed that build and participated in two others as well.

Last March, Ambrose helped build frames for houses during the Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Indianapolis, an experience he found so rewarding that he returned to Indianapolis to participate in a build at the 2006 Men’s Final Four. That time he brought along his then-14-year-old son Charlie.

"It was incredible to do the builds right in that setting," Ambrose said. "During the build we could look right out and see downtown Indianapolis. My son has a sensitive heart for others. There is no better way to encourage that than through a Habitat build."

The event didn’t draw huge media attention, but for those taking part, it made the Final Four experience more complete.

"It was a unique blend to have a build in a Final Four environment," Ambrose said. "It gives you a balanced perspective. Here is one of the biggest sporting events in the country; yet you can still take time to do something for others."

Habitat for Humanity, which is based in Americus and Atlanta, Georgia, estimates it will construct more than 3,100 homes in Louisiana, 1,250 in Mississippi and 100 in Alabama in the next three to five years.

NCAA-sponsored houses will likely total in the 30s.

Habitat’s Allen said people chosen for the builds receive a no-interest mortgage for 15 years or more, which means a Habitat for Humanity homeowner can expect mortgage payments between about $400 and $500 a month.

"They have full ownership, and the money they pay goes to the next houses that are being built," Allen said.

The perpetual cycle helps people who had been disadvantaged land on their feet.

Melody Lawrence, NCAA associate director for community relations who helps coordinate the events, said the hard work of organizing and constructing frames for houses is rewarding when those involved attend the dedication of the home to the new owner.

She said one in particular that stood out was meeting the family that moved into one of the houses built in Indianapolis during the Final Four.

"The first time the homeowner stuck the key in the lock and turned it, it was an amazing moment," said Lawrence, who is the point person for the NCAA’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity. "She had her little boys there, and they were excited. She was so proud of that house. The little boys were thrilled to have their own rooms."

Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice president for Division I women’s basketball, attended the dedication in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, of a home built for a displaced New Orleans family in the memory of former Louisiana State University women’s basketball coach Sue Gunter, who died August 4, 2005.

The current LSU women’s basketball staff also was present.

The build was completed in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Women’s College Basketball Hall of Fame. Representatives from LSU; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; the University of Texas at Austin; and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association took part in the construction.

"It is one of the most powerful things and growth opportunities I’ve had," Donohoe said. "Being in Baton Rouge for the dedication was powerful. The mom and her three sons were there. At the end of the dedication ceremony, everybody put their hands on the house and prayed."

The class of inductees into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame signed the frame of the house.

Donohoe and the NCAA basketball staff have considered ways of incorporating Habitat for Humanity into the Women’s Final Four this April in Cleveland, home of the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

For example, an artist is completing a project in which five replicas of a 10-foot-tall guitar will be created. The plan is for each of the four Women’s Final Four coaches to sign one of the miniatures and for all four to sign the other. The large guitar will be displayed at a number of events during the Women’s Final Four before being auctioned along with the replicas on the College Sports Television (CSTV) Web site. The proceeds will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

"The relationship with the NCAA has been exceptional," Allen said. "One of the wonderful things about Habitat is that once an individual finds himself or herself engaged directly in the process of building homes for another family, they are hooked. It’s like their whole spirit changes."

It’s a spirit that has built many happy endings this year, with more on the way.