National accolades were delivered to another University of Wisconsin organization this year, though this time for efforts outside of academia.

The UW chapter of Habitat for Humanity received the inaugural National Campus Chapter of the Year award this September.

UW senior and UW Habitat President Josh Reiter said receiving the award was "elating." The group's award ceremony was held in Chicago two weeks ago, Reiter said, but the group did not let the honor distract them from its charitable mission.

"We sent a few people down to accept the award and have a party, pretty much," Reiter said. "We didn't celebrate overly much seeing as we're focusing on our projects for this year."

The UW chapter of Habitat for Humanity was established in 1993, and former president Matt Brueggeman said the organization has grown immensely since he first joined in 2002.

The UW Habitat chapter worked with the Dane County branch of the organization and relied on a large number of volunteers to raise the award-winning chapter as a strong fund-raising group.

"It was really unique to have great communication with the affiliate, to have a serious amount of volunteers that really wanted to work and a lot of people who were willing to contribute in the communication," Brueggeman said. "We were really lucky, and it took a lot of work, too."

One of the chapter's most profitable fundraisers, the Souperbowl, an effort in which UW Habitat for Humanity members hand out free soup the day before the NFL Superbowl, has grown considerably since its inception.

When he was a freshman at UW, Brueggeman said the Souperbowl was a disorganized "nightmare."

However, last year the UW Credit Union sponsored the event and students raised $25,000.

Emily Fox, UW senior and UW Habitat for Humanity public relations chair, said that $25,000 was raised in four hours, which is "above and beyond" other chapters' efforts. Fox said the group's fundraising efforts were a central reason why they won the inaugural award.

"I think people don't realize how hard our chapter works," Fox said. "To be recognized as a campus is really awesome."

But Fox said the honor would not change the way UW Habitat for Humanity operates. It would be "just phenomenal," she said, if the group could increase the amount of fundraising it does.

This August, UW Habitat took a trip to New Orleans to aid in Hurricane Katrina relief. Reiter said the experience was "eye-opening."

During the trip, volunteers helped gut damaged homes of non-salvageable hurricane remains. The trip to New Orleans was unique, Reiter said, because the group usually constructs — rather than destructs — homes.

"I came away with almost a feeling of guilt that the nation hasn't done more collectively to help these people," Reiter said.

This summer was the first time UW Habitat made the trip to New Orleans post-Katrina, but the group will return in January to provide more aid.