2008 Woodie Awards
SAC introduces the faces of homelessness
Nicole Dellasanta
Issue date: 12/4/04 Section: News Stories
On Tuesday, November 16th, Assumption College and Students Advocating Change welcomed six speakers to the Hagan Campus Center Hall to take part in the "Faces of Homelessness" panel in recognition of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
The panel drew an audience of about 75 members of the Assumption community and beyond, who were captivated for the full hour in which they listened to each speaker describe his or her occupation in relation to homelessness, then took part in an open-forum question and answer session.
The six speakers, each contacted by a member of Assumption's social justice awareness club, Students Advocating Change, were: Bill Slattery, a Vietnam war veteran currently residing in the Worcester Veteran's Shelter; Pamela Faustine, a volunteer with the Greater Worcester chapter of Habitat for Humanity; Stephanie McCaffrey, Campus Minister at Assumption College; Liz Sullivan, director of Women's Services at the People in Peril Shelter in Worcester; Democratic State Representative Bob Spellane of the 13th District of Worcester; and Anthony Colon, a member of the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance.
Associate Professor of Sociology Richard Gendron, the faculty advisor to SAC, served as the panel's moderator. Wearing a blue SAC t-shirt that read, "Get up. Stand up.", he acknowledged the members of SAC for initiating the panel, then offered his own introduction to the evening's topic of homelessness.
"Homelessness doesn't always have to do with bad choices," he pointed out.
Surrounded by posters along the walls that read messages such as, "14.4 million families have critical housing needs," and "40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces," Professor Gendron then briefly introduced each speaker individually. Speakers were seated at two tables on either side of the podium at which Professor Gendron was standing and the speakers then each received their turn to describe their occupations in more detail.
The panel drew an audience of about 75 members of the Assumption community and beyond, who were captivated for the full hour in which they listened to each speaker describe his or her occupation in relation to homelessness, then took part in an open-forum question and answer session.
The six speakers, each contacted by a member of Assumption's social justice awareness club, Students Advocating Change, were: Bill Slattery, a Vietnam war veteran currently residing in the Worcester Veteran's Shelter; Pamela Faustine, a volunteer with the Greater Worcester chapter of Habitat for Humanity; Stephanie McCaffrey, Campus Minister at Assumption College; Liz Sullivan, director of Women's Services at the People in Peril Shelter in Worcester; Democratic State Representative Bob Spellane of the 13th District of Worcester; and Anthony Colon, a member of the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance.
Associate Professor of Sociology Richard Gendron, the faculty advisor to SAC, served as the panel's moderator. Wearing a blue SAC t-shirt that read, "Get up. Stand up.", he acknowledged the members of SAC for initiating the panel, then offered his own introduction to the evening's topic of homelessness.
"Homelessness doesn't always have to do with bad choices," he pointed out.
Surrounded by posters along the walls that read messages such as, "14.4 million families have critical housing needs," and "40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces," Professor Gendron then briefly introduced each speaker individually. Speakers were seated at two tables on either side of the podium at which Professor Gendron was standing and the speakers then each received their turn to describe their occupations in more detail.