Thousands to sleep under the stars to help homeless
Thousands of people will participate in a sleep-a-thon at Markham Park Friday night to bring attention to homelessness.
Arley Rivera started experimenting with drugs at age 11.Fifteen years later, his risky lifestyle led to a drunk driving arrest, and his mother kicked him out of the house.
Feeling hopeless, Rivera, 29, turned to the Miami Rescue Mission. Now sober for 32 months and counting, Rivera has graduated from the program and volunteers regularly at the mission.
”I thought I was living before, but I wasn’t,” Rivera said. “I wasn’t living until I came here.”
Friday night, Rivera and thousands of community members will participate in an outdoor sleep-a-thon to bring awareness to homelessness. Like those living on the streets, participants will sleep in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags in Sunrise’s Markham Park, 16001 W. State Road 84.
Miami Rescue Mission and the Broward Outreach Centers in Hollywood and Pompano Beach are hosting the event. The sleep-a-thon, now in its second year, had about 400 participants last year. This time, organizers expect as many as 2,000 people to attend.
The Rev. Ronald Brummitt, president of the Miami Rescue Mission, created the sleep-a-thon so people could understand the hardships of being homeless for one night. Participants can bring backpacks with overnight supplies such as flashlights and blankets, but they can’t seek comfort in tents.
”People will be sleeping under the stars, which is sort of like being homeless,” Brummitt said. “We’re trying to make a statement in these hard economic times and the holiday season, which is the roughest time for any homeless person.”
The sleep-a-thon begins at 6 p.m. Friday and lasts until 6 a.m. Saturday. The event is rain or shine, and people can stay for any length of the 12 hours. Entertainment and food vendors will be at the park Friday night. The mission will also host activities such as a ”Build Your Own Cardboard House” event.
The registration fee is $10, and organizers ask that participants bring a food or clothing donation as well. Brummitt encourages people to seek sponsors to pledge additional money. All donations will help the three homeless shelters provide services, which help 1,000 people every day.
But the real goal of the sleep-a-thon is to garner community support beyond monetary donations, director of community development Marilyn Brummitt said. All three shelters are in need of volunteers, food and clothing.
”We hope that as people understand the need, that they become supporters also by volunteering,” she said. “When people come and see, feel, hear these tough situations, that’s the best way to bring in support.”
The sleep-a-thon attracts a range of people, from high school students looking for community service hours to working professionals, such as Michael Murphy, a 58-year-old Miami paralegal.
Murphy, who volunteers at the Mission’s education center, attended the sleep-a-thon last year, even braving the rain when storms broke out. For the past few years, Murphy has taught math, computer literacy and other skills to men at the shelter.
”When you think you’re suffering, think of these people who have nothing and are living under bridges,” Murphy said. “The mission gives them hope.”
The original source of this article can be found at:
www.miamiherald.com / Fri, Nov. 14, 2008
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