In conjunction with the first- and second-round games of the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, student-athletes from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock framed a house as part of the NCAA Home Team partnership with Habitat for Humanity International. More than 70 student-athletes and staff from Arkansas-Little Rock helped construct the walls of the Habitat house that will become the home for a local North Little Rock family.

“This build was a great opportunity for our student-athletes to give back to the community that has embraced them,” said Chris Peterson, director of athletics at Arkansas-Little Rock. “By participating in this event, our student-athletes were able to exemplify the supporting role that intercollegiate athletics plays in enhancing the sense of community and strengthening the identity of member institutions.”

This build is the latest in the NCAA Home Team partnership, which began in 2005 after hurricanes struck the Gulf Coast. More than 1,000 student-athletes, along with campus and NCAA staff and other volunteers, have constructed nearly 25 homes for families to aid the rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast, as well as to help eliminate substandard housing in other areas of the country, including North Little Rock.

The next NCAA Home Team build will take place at the Division II Spring Championships Festival in Houston, where 10 homes will be constructed by Division II student-athletes.