ROCKPORT — The newest club at Camden Hills Regional High School has an ambitious and important focus: creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Camden Hills Habitat for Humanity was organized in October and is led by senior Abigail Matlack and adviser Christopher Felicetti. Matlack had volunteered at Midcoast Habitat for Humanity's ReStore on West Street in Rockport over the summer, experiencing firsthand the energy and mission of the organization.

"I fell in love with it," said Matlack, in a news release. "When Tia first told me about wanting to start a club at the school, I immediately jumped at the opportunity because I wanted my classmates to have the same experience I did."

The Camden Hills Habitat group is already having an effect in two key areas: raising funds for building supplies, and on-site work to help complete a home.

They held a successful fundraiser at Christmas-by-the-Sea in December, garnering more than $800, and have another event planned for April. In January, the club spent a chilly Saturday sheet rocking, mudding and taping the walls for Midcoast Habitat's current building project, located at 36 Brewster Street in Rockland.

The Brewster Street house was a partially constructed shell that sat empty for years before Midcoast Habitat purchased it in 2015. The project is scheduled to be completed by early April and is seeking a large family of 5-6 people who will partner with Midcoast Habitat to purchase the home.

"As students, we can be a little secluded from the housing realities in our area," said Matlack. "By starting the Habitat club, I think our members have become more aware and considerate of the importance of housing and the struggles that people face with finding and keeping a home."

Chris Felicetti, an Industrial Technology teacher at Camden Hills, says he is glad to be the new group's adviser and proud to help them with their work. "The members put in a lot of effort for the fundraiser and it was probably the most successful event I've been a part of as a teacher. I think this club will be a great addition to the Habitat community and a credit to their school."

Abigail Matlack hopes Camden Hills Habitat for Humanity will continue long after she graduates in June and encourages anyone with interest to get in touch with her or Felicetti. The club's mission may be ambitious, but every effort to provide decent shelter for Knox County residents helps. In addition, says Matlack, "It's a great way for us to give back to the community that has given us so much."