UW Real Estate Club Celebrates with New Home Owners, UW Chapter of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County

On the afternoon of May 4, Real Estate Club members came full circle on a volunteer project when they attended a house blessing ceremony for a local Madison family.  During the academic year, the UW Real Estate Club volunteered for two half-day build events for the UW-Madison Chapter of Habitat for Humanity of Dane County.  The ceremony was to congratulate the Vang-Cheng Family on their new home (to be completely finished in June 2012).

Volunteering for the Habitat for Humanity organization is a good match for the interests and passions of real estate club members. The club members who worked on the Habitat house really valued the opportunity to support a local family, and to work side-by-side at the construction site with them on their new home. As noted by the Habitat organizers, the Vang-Cheng Family has been one of the hardest working families the UW chapter has seen in recent years. They dedicated 100+ volunteer building hours over the necessary volunteer requirement for Habitat families. Their dream for a spacious home where they can raise their 5 children has come true, and they expressed their sincere gratitude during the ceremony.

The UW Habitat chapter has received a national award from Habitat International for its innovative programs. To learn more about the UW-Madison Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter, visit their website. From the UW Real Estate Club, we want to wish the Vang-Cheng family a very happy homecoming!

Real Estate Students Embrace "Movember"

Seen an unusually high number of mustaches recently? If you’re near the Wisconsin School of Business, chances are the answer to that question is a definite “yes.” That’s because a team of over 20 MBAs, including six Real Estate students, have chosen to partake in the “Movember” movement that is sweeping the globe.

Pictured (from left): Andrew, Rob, Jordan, Jay, Jeff, and Andrew.

These students (myself included) have dedicated their facial "real estate" for the month of November to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. During our endeavor to master the art of fine mustachery, we effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through our actions and words, we raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

The team has already raised over $1,000, and there's plenty of time left in the month to keep the effort going! The movement has been a great way to connect with classmates and support a very worthwhile cause. Team captain Topher Stephenson has done a great job recruiting team members, and the Graduate Business Association has assisted in promoting the cause in the Grainger Squire. We are in an "MBA Challenge" network, in which we compete against other MBA programs across the globe for the most donations received. We are currently in 8th place, and hoping to continue the strong presence!

Interested in joining the team or making a donation? Visit team Mustache MBA homepage for details!

Andrew Toby is a first-year MBA student in the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate. A CPA from California, Andrew hopes to utilize both his accounting background and the knowledge gained in the MBA program to pursue a career in private equity investments in real estate.