“Since I’ve become a homeowner, my life has changed for the better,” said Tandongfor, assistant facilities manager for Clough Commons. “My family has been very successful, and this is because we’re Habitat for Humanity homeowners.”

When Tandongfor immigrated from Cameroon in 2003, he began working at Georgia Tech and took on two additional jobs to support his wife and five children.

By moving into a Habitat home, Tandongfor was able to save money previously spent renting a three-bedroom apartment. This meant he was able to spend more time with family — and get an education. Currently, Tandongfor is working on his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Mercer University.

Tandongfor shared his Habitat story during the Oct. 1 kickoff breakfast for this year’s Georgia Tech Charitable Campaign. Habitat for Humanity is one of the many charities that benefit from money raised during the campaign, which is a part of the larger State Charitable Contributions Program.

The deadline to contribute to the 2014 campaign is Dec. 15. The Institute’s goal is to get at least 1,500 members of the campus community to give $330,000. Faculty and staff can choose to contribute to more than 1,000 organizations.

In addition to payroll deduction and check donations, both one-time credit/debit card payment and WebCheck options are now available to make donating money easy. (Giving online through TechWorks at http://www.techworks.gatech.edu is preferred.)

Learn more about the campaign at http://www.charitable.gatech.edu.