AUBURN - Folks warmed up to a brisk walk for a good cause Saturday morning as more than 25 walkers met at Genesee Mall in Auburn for the first Habitat for Humanity Awareness Walk.

The walk aims to raise awareness about the need for housing, raise funds for future building projects, and highlight the work of hundreds of supporters since the organization's founding in 1991

A statewide Awareness Walk will be held in the fall, but the local walk was moved up to accommodate BOCES' New Visions Business and Media Communications class of 14 seniors, who made it their class project. Aleshia Akera, Amber Horton, Alex Moochler, Colleen Chalker, Courtney Helenski, Brittany Jorgensen, Doug Sheffield, Nikki Yantch, Eric Conway, Jeff Gray, Darci Tanner, Theresa Church, Rachel Humennyj and Kristina Kalyan were all present with family members to walk, along with their teacher, Margaret Colella.

The 5 K walk moved south on South Street to Logan and east on Logan to Mary Street, past completed Habitat houses at 7 Mary St., 41 Mattie St., 96 and 94 Chapman St., 8 Chapman Ave., and 63 Fitch Ave. before it returned to the Genesee Mall for a party.

Participants contributed $25 for a T-shirt, lunch and entertainment.

Average national Habitat home construction costs include: land, $15,000; building, $40,000; cost to new owner, $55,000; complete home appraisal: $73,000. Cayuga County's average home value is $72,500, and 11.7 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

Those wanting a Habitat home must need adequate shelter and fall between 25 and 50 percent of the area median income, $39, 600 in Cayuga County. They also need to pay a zero interest, zero profit mortgage and be willing to partner with Habitat.

Prior to the walk, state Assemblyman Gary Finch presented Tina Barry, president of Habitat, with a $5,000 state grant for Cayuga County Habitat to use any way needed.

“We will be using it for our Wadsworth Street project,” Barry said. Habitat board members were also on hand.

Habitat's 11th dwelling at 33 Wadsworth St. recently got a 75,000 BTU furnace from B&C Heating, new windows and siding. It still needs insulation and electrical work. The Robert Ross estate donated the house. Except for one new build, local projects have all been renovations.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net