2008 Woodie Awards
Reach Out Center
Sarah Lennox
Issue date: 11/13/04 Section: Campus Life
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On Friday October 29th 2004, a line of student protesters marched into Loyola College's McGuire Hall to the beat of "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's that Sound)." The students proudly raised signs with headlines demanding everything from "Everyone Should Have One House Before Anyone Has Two" to fair trade coffee. As we clapped to The Buffalo Springfield's 1960s hit, Kim Maleno and I smiled in mutual agreement that this would be an inspiring weekend. We were right.
Thanks to Reach Out Center funds, Kim and I squashed our two bulky sleeping bags into one tightly packed suitcase, and set off for Baltimore, Maryland. We became masters of public transportation within a matter of hours; one flight, shuttle, light rail, and cab ride later, we had reached the National Student Coalition Against Hunger and Homelessness' Annual Conference.
Our newly acquired travel experience, however valuable, pales in comparison to the insight we gained at this conference. As if I were a character from A Christmas Carol, this conference grabbed me by the shoulders, plucked me out of my daily life, and plopped me down in front of scenes simultaneously familiar and foreign. It revealed things I saw every day, but had failed to actively notice or rectify.
Have you ever seen a homeless person? What does a homeless person look like? If you can conjure up an image, perhaps it looks something like this: A grizzled middle-aged man extends a bent cardboard sign or an old tin cup toward the bustling passerby. Perhaps his shoes are muddy, his plaid shirt faded, and his coat worn. But what about his eyes? Have you ever met his gaze? And what about his voice? Have you ever inclined your head and listened?
I'm not writing this to scold you. I do, however, want to remind you of a truth too often overlooked or forgotten. Homeless people are just that: people-men, women and children with the same rights as any of us.
So what does a homeless person need from you? Certainly, they require food, shelter, and clothing-all of which you can help provide. Even after a meal at Our Daily Bread or a warm night at My Sister's House, these people lack social interaction. That's because they make up the invisible masses, they are the living ghosts whose most offensive crime is a haunting reappearance every time we try to dismiss them.
Thanks to Reach Out Center funds, Kim and I squashed our two bulky sleeping bags into one tightly packed suitcase, and set off for Baltimore, Maryland. We became masters of public transportation within a matter of hours; one flight, shuttle, light rail, and cab ride later, we had reached the National Student Coalition Against Hunger and Homelessness' Annual Conference.
Our newly acquired travel experience, however valuable, pales in comparison to the insight we gained at this conference. As if I were a character from A Christmas Carol, this conference grabbed me by the shoulders, plucked me out of my daily life, and plopped me down in front of scenes simultaneously familiar and foreign. It revealed things I saw every day, but had failed to actively notice or rectify.
Have you ever seen a homeless person? What does a homeless person look like? If you can conjure up an image, perhaps it looks something like this: A grizzled middle-aged man extends a bent cardboard sign or an old tin cup toward the bustling passerby. Perhaps his shoes are muddy, his plaid shirt faded, and his coat worn. But what about his eyes? Have you ever met his gaze? And what about his voice? Have you ever inclined your head and listened?
I'm not writing this to scold you. I do, however, want to remind you of a truth too often overlooked or forgotten. Homeless people are just that: people-men, women and children with the same rights as any of us.
So what does a homeless person need from you? Certainly, they require food, shelter, and clothing-all of which you can help provide. Even after a meal at Our Daily Bread or a warm night at My Sister's House, these people lack social interaction. That's because they make up the invisible masses, they are the living ghosts whose most offensive crime is a haunting reappearance every time we try to dismiss them.