The Build

Students Building Community is a partnership between the Greater Cedar Rapids Housing & Building Association and Cedar Valley Habitat Humanity. This program aims to develop future housing & building professionals by giving high school students an opportunity to experience a variety of trades.

Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, Cedar Rapids Community School District students who are part of the Students Building Community program will spend multiple hours a week on a Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity build site, connecting with and learning from Greater Cedar Rapids Housing & Building Association members.

Join In

Want to help this program grow? Here’s how:

Contractors: Fill in the subcontractor and supplier agreement located here and send it to the Greater Cedar Rapids Housing & Building Association.

Students: Ask your teacher or school counselor how to join the Students Building Community program.

The Family

“A home is a very special thing. To have a bigger space that is in good condition…for us it means freedom.” – Ruben

Ruben and Lyly live with their five sons and one daughter in a crowded 3-bedroom apartment rental in Cedar Rapids. The need for more space has became evident, and it was through friends who understood their struggles that they discovered Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Ruben and Lyly had a long and arduous journey to arrive in the Cedar Valley from their native Democratic Republic of Congo. Lyly arrived in the United States alone and pregnant; facing the challenge of adapting to a new country while speaking only French. It would be five long years before Ruben and her older boys were able to join her.

The couple has now settled fully into the community as Lyly works at Iowa Premium Beef and Ruben works at Whirlpool; and on top of working full-time jobs to support their large family the couple has embraced the opportunity provided by Habitat for Humanity wholeheartedly. They are dedicated to
fulfilling their sweat equity hours, with even their eldest sons contributing at build sites and the ReStore.

For Ruben and Lyly, the prospect of owning their own home represents more than just physical space; it symbolizes freedom and stability for their family.

The Partners

This home is made possible by the generous support of the following organizations.