For associate professor Willie Heggins’ EdAd 440 class, working together is the key to success, in more places than just the classroom.

Operating under the name WSU I.M.P.A.C.T., the class began a lengthy service project in November helping a Moscow woman in a tight spot.

She is a single mother with six children ages 18 months to mid-teens, one of whom is wheelchair-bound by cerebral palsy and recently underwent surgery. She suffers from fibromialgia and serves as a cook for two WSU fraternities.

Habitat For Humanity provided the family with a grant to build a house about a year and a half ago. Though the house was completed, some parts of the property still need work.

The yard is not suitable for children, and the family had to give up its two dogs because the house lacked a surrounding fence, according to the group’s project proposal.

The house was also built on a steep hill with uneven ground, said Avery Berschauer, senior communication major.

“The house was completed, however, the landscape was something that was not part of the overall budget,” Heggins said.

Graduate assistant Michael Schwartz with the Center for Civic Engagement connected the students with the woman’s situation and needs, Berschauer said.

The group aims to have the project completed by April 25 on a budget of about $5,000, senior history major Joni Webster said. When finished, it will include a surrounding fence for the house, better grass for the children to play on in the yard and a retaining wall.

Tilling the ground and raking began last fall. Because the weather and funds were limiting, the group turned to fundraising.

Project contributors include the Center for Civic Engagement, the ASWSU Senate and Executive Board, Residence Life, WSU Athletics, the Greek community and various businesses.

With the harsh winter weather, the preliminary tasks were not easy, sophomore communication major Thomas Elhart said.

“It’s been tough,” he said. “You couldn’t even walk on (the yard) without sinking in three to four inches.” With winter over and the weather hopefully improving, the students will re-till and rake the ground today before beginning work on the actual project Friday.

Heggins said the project helps further the goals of the class, as well as those of the university as a whole. He said this kind of humanitarian effort helps students become engaged and involved and to give back to their community.

“Those are some of the tenants that really grow the direction that we want to go with the project,” he said.

The fundraising and overall effort helps students build their portfolios and resumes, Heggins said.

Heggins and his class encourage volunteers to come out on Fridays and Saturdays for the next several weekends to help complete the project.

Webster said shifts will begin at 1 p.m. Friday and continue until 5 p.m. On Saturday, shifts will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. Each shift lasts two hours.

Heggins said prospective volunteers can find online directions to 447 Paradise Drive in Moscow. Volunteers who wish to earn service hours for their work should consult the Center for Civic Engagement.

“The most important thing is to help a family of need,” he said.