TodayNight School
A chilly campout teaches cold facts
Print
Share
Email to a friend
Add This
Article RatingImages
From left, Jess Potteiger, 16, Kathleen Tiley, 15, and Andrew Vensel, 15, all of Carlisle and part of the Interact Club at Boiling Springs High School, tape down a tarp on top of their cardboard boxes. They were sleeping in them last Saturday evening as they took part in Safe Harbour’s “One Night Without a Home” fundraiser held at Dickinson College. (Matthew O’Haren/Special to The Sentinel)
It was BYOB Saturday night on the campus of Dickinson College, but there was no alcohol. This weekend, BYOB meant “bring your own box” for an event called One Night Without a Home, a fund-raiser to benefit Safe Harbour.
Groups from Bloserville, Boiling Springs, Carlisle, Dillsburg and Mt. Holly Springs camped out as part of the fifth annual event to raise awareness and money for Safe Harbour, which provides shelter and social services to homeless and potentially homeless people in Cumberland County.
The purpose of the sleep-out was to raise awareness of what it’s like to be homeless. On any given night in America, an estimated 750,000 people are homeless, according to national statistics.
Participants were asked to seek a minimum of $100 in donations from friends, family, congregation and community members. The event, which began at 7 p.m. Saturday and ended at 7 a.m. this morning, included entertainment, scripture and a brief program.
“We very much appreciate the fact that you’ve come out and are willing to sleep under the clouds to raise money for the homeless,” said Wendell Hollinger, executive director of Safe Harbour. But, he reminded the group, “The homeless don’t have the option of going home tomorrow morning.”
The event was held in conjunction with National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, organized by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness.
Building box villages
The youth group from Huntsdale Church of the Brethren built the Cadillac of box houses under the tall oaks on the college campus.
“We tried to make a community so we’re all together,” said Pam Sheaffer, a senior at Big Spring High School.
The group angled their large appliance boxes together in sort of a pentagon configuration in an attempt to block the wind. Then, they covered them with tarps and piled sleeping bags and blankets inside. “We’re definitely high-class homeless,” Sheaffer said, acknowledging that true homeless people don’t have such luxuries.
Sheaffer said this is the fourth year the group has attended the event and they’ve learned a few things. “One year, we didn’t tarp the top and it rained,” she said, leaving the box village soggy.
The group has also discovered that not only is the event for a good cause, but, “It’s a good bonding experience for us, too,” according to Sheaffer.
Other groups still had a lot to learn about feathering their nests.
Some members of the Interact Club at Boiling Springs High School were struggling to keep their boxes from caving in. “When in doubt, add more tape,” suggested Jess Potteiger, a junior at Boiling Springs High School, as sophomore Andrew Vensel pulled a length of duct tape from the roll.
Potteiger’s box was nicely appointed with a sleeping mat and bag and a pillow in the shape of a peace sign.
“I think we’ll learn what it’s like to be homeless, even though this isn’t really what it’s like,” said Kathleen Tiley, a sophomore at Boiling Springs.
Not just a big city problem
The students said homelessness isn’t unique to metropolitan areas. “There’s a lot of homeless people in Carlisle. It’s everywhere,” Tiley said.
In fact, Safe Harbour serves 120 to 150 people each year in programs ranging from emergency shelter to independent living, according to Wendell Hollinger.
Last year, the awareness sleep-out had about 102 participants and raised $3,192 for shelter operations.
Dickinson College provided the space and Carlisle Special Fire Police helped out with security. “We couldn’t have better cooperation in the community,” Hollinger said. “It’s great.”
Raising money
The youth group from McClure’s Gap Church of God made it a weekend event, with students and parents building the box village Friday night, followed by a Saturday fund-raiser at Saylor’s Market in Newville. “We raised $317,” said Linda Farner, youth director. She said the money will go to Safe Harbour as well as other needs in the community.
The McClure’s group took a different approach in their box village. They cut the boxes apart and taped the pieces together to build a taller and wide cardboard village.
Tabetha Hawkins, a fourth-grader at Plainfield Elementary said she wasn’t afraid to sleep outside, as she stood bundled up drinking a cup of hot chocolate. Her priority, she said, was to help the community.
“Last year I was here and it was freezing,” added Ashley Bair, a fifth-grader from Newville Elementary. “This year, I brought extra blankets.”
“This is fun,” said Courtney Lescalleet, a sophomore at Big Spring High School. “But this for us is just one night. For (the homeless) it’s every day and not much fun.”
As leaves blew down from the tall oak trees and landed on the boxes under the night sky, the youth considered what they could do to help the homeless. “I think people ignore the homeless and sort of feel guilty,” Tiley said.
“Go the extra mile,” Vensel said. “Bring them food, build a relationship, show them you care.”
