“If someone steals your pillow, it might mean you’ll get married to him!”
That was the motherly advice Maura Van Woert ’27 received before heading off on her spring break service trip with Habitat for Humanity. Maureen (Krant) Van Woert ’98 would know – that’s precisely how she met her future husband when they were both Saints. This March, their daughter made her first Habitat trip through the chapter her dad founded.
When Chris Van Woert ’98 was a student here, he was so impressed with the mission of Habitat for Humanity that he decided to found a chapter at Siena. His dad was a builder, so Chris was already familiar with the nonprofit and all the details that go into building a house. He worked with College administrators to arrange a sophomore year trip to Hilton Head, S.C., where a crew of 12 students razed an old house and salvaged the supplies to donate to Habitat.
After a hard day’s work in the spring sunshine, the students bunked in on the floor of a local church. Chris accidentally swiped Maureen’s pillow once – well, maybe twice – shortly before lights out and it turned into a running joke with the crew. That was the start of their friendship; two years later they began dating. Throughout their time at Siena, they were both active in Campus Ministry, took part in retreats and volunteered at the St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia. Their senior year, they did another Habitat service trip together, this time to Newport News, Virginia.
Before graduation Chris officially founded a Habitat chapter at Siena not only to coordinate long-distance spring break service trips, but to offer service opportunities at Albany-area builds for Saints who want to stay local.
“It’s really heartwarming to see how much Siena’s Habitat chapter has grown over the years,” said Chris. “It gives us a tremendous sense of pride that the College can offer this community service program. It’s absolutely in line with Franciscan values, and has proven to be a life-changing experience for those who participate.”
The Van Woerts were married in August 2001 at the Siena Chapel by co-celebrants Fr. Jim Sabak, O.F.M. and Br. Michael Harlan, O.F.M. The topic of the wedding homily? The young couple’s commitment to Habitat and the Franciscan ideal of doing good for others. The family resides in Guilderland, N.Y. with their three children: Maura and younger siblings Keira and Brendan. The entire family is involved in service by coordinating food drives and volunteering at area nursing homes. One of the facilities now features a mural designed and painted by Maura.
This March, Maura continued her parents’ Habitat tradition and headed to South Carolina with 10 other Saints for their group’s build.
“I loved it – it was a wonderful experience,” she said. “Habitat has always had a special place in my family’s heart, so I was really glad I finally got to have my first building experience.”
Maura said she “enjoyed the sense of accomplishment from the build,” despite callused hands and splinters from the wood. Now that she’s back on campus, she’s still in touch with the new Siena friends she made on the trip and they enjoy the inside jokes they took away from their experience. No pillow-stealing, though – at least on this trip.
Before the 12-hour drive to South Carolina, Maura said she was “so nervous” about being able to do the work of putting a house together and whether the experience she had heard so much about – and that launched her parents’ relationship – would live up to her expectations. No worries were necessary.
“It not only met my expectations, it exceeded them by a million percent,” she said. “If you ever have the opportunity to go on one of these trips, definitely do it.”
“When I heard Maura had the chance to do a Habitat trip as a sophomore, I was thrilled,” said Maureen. “I told her, ‘You have to do this!”
Over the years, spring break Habitat builds have become something of a Siena tradition. Since the College’s chapter was founded in the 1990s, Siena has sent student groups to North Carolina, South Carolina or Kentucky every year with the exception of one. What started as one small group has grown into an annual caravan of three or four teams totaling about 40 Saints heading south to make the dream of home ownership a reality for others.
Abby James-Vickery ’25, has been president of the Siena chapter for the past two years, and works through Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge to plan the Siena trips. Not too handy with a hammer and nails? No problem, because no previous carpentry experience is needed – Habitat volunteers on site will teach you what you need to know.
“Habitat is the perfect place to learn and to test yourself,” said Abby. “You get comfortable with the uncomfortable. It’s a great way to embrace Franciscan values by helping others. And every trip, students develop a whole new friend group of other volunteers from their build.”
The Van Woerts agree that Habitat was a life-changing experience.
“We grew closer with friends we had known before the trip and stayed connected with many of the other students in the trip for the remainder of our years at Siena,” said Maureen. “Dedicating time and effort to something larger than ourselves is a value instilled in me by my parents. Chris and I were so pleased that Maura was able to have this experience and feel the powerful impact she can have on others by participating in service to the community.”
Chris added that when Maura was doing college tours as a high school senior (Siena was always her top choice), they stopped at the Habitat booth during a Siena campus open house. Chris didn’t mention to the student volunteers that he was the one who founded their chapter back in the day, but he was rewarded to see that his vision of building homes for those in need was alive and well at Siena.
“It just gives me an immense sense of pride to see that our efforts have left a lasting impression at the College,” he said.