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To escape the winter weather, many students are traveling to a warm, tropical climate for spring break.

But the members of UW-Eau Claire’s Habitat for Humanity are headed for Philadelphia, Pa. to assist with the construction of houses.

Seventeen UW-Eau Claire students and one UW-Madison student are leaving March 22 and returning March 31. They will be building houses March 25-28.

Traveling the 19-hour trip one way via two vans, junior Kristy Kutchenriter, co-president of the UW-Eau Claire chapter of Habitat for Humanity, said she hopes they will all bond as a group.

“Everybody is so eager to go,” she said.

Students will stay in a completed habitat house because the family had recently moved out.

Since their lodging is taken care of, students were in charge of paying for the vans, food and a contribution to the affiliate, which comes to about $280 per person.

On Feb. 27 and 28, Habitat held a sucker sale to raise money in Davies across from the bookstore.

Two hundred letters were also sent to local businesses asking for contributions.

Currently, they have received $125 cash and gift certificates for oil changes from various businesses.

A bake and nail sale will also take place in the near future.

“Students are paying their way to build homes … it’s pretty good for our country,” Habitat for Humanity Advisor Daniel Langlois said. “They are good-hearted students.”

Since 1999, Habitat for Humanity has built homes in Americus, Ga.; Miami and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Taos, N.M.; and Fayetteville, N.C.

Although senior April Lyon is not going on the trip this year, she said her previous Habitat experiences have made a deep impact on her, especially last year’s trip to Fayetteville.

“They are a community that totally put their whole heart into Habitat,” Lyon said. “It wasn’t individual based, but teamwork (based). It was a hard-work experience.”

Students will perform jobs depending on what state the houses are in.

“I hope as a group they learn new skills and kind of a different culture,” Kutchenriter said. “I hope it opens a lot of people’s eyes.”

Although there are no remaining spots for this year’s trip, Habitat travels across the United States once or twice a year to help build homes for those in need.