Notre Dame students sleep outside in cardboard boxes to help raise awareness of teen homelessness.
A group of students from Notre Dame’s upper division spent a chilly night outside last week as part of their work with campus ministry. Five seniors put together the event for their leadership-level service project, according to Katharine Lawrence, one of the five.
“The event was held at St. Mary of the Hills Parish in Rochester Hills,” Lawrence said. “Plus we had two teens from Covenant House come to speak on their own experiences with homelessness. We had representation from each of Notre Dame Prep’s grades on hand.”
Besides Lawrence, fellow Notre Dame seniors Nicholas Hariskos, Anna Sartori, Margaret Henige and Lila Ghaith coordinated the evening and night.
Lawrence recalled one student who said, "Being able to hear about real instances of homelessness, I think we realize how much we take for granted. For many, homelessness isn't a choice, it's just out of their control."
During the event, the students also held a candlelight vigil and a simulation where each of them was placed into a simulated family.
"At one point we were given a salary and a 'family,' and we were asked to make choices," said Genevieve Hendler, a senior at Notre Dame and one of the participants. “Choices on whether our children would go to college, whether we could afford a car, etc.”
Hendler said the students then received their “cars” in a real-life situation, such as a fire or death in the family, and had to account for all of it as real life.
“That was the most real experience,” she said. “It was disappointment and stress and sorrow all at once.”
Lawrence added that sleeping outside in a box also provided plenty of insight for the Notre Dame students. Another student said that the experience made her realize how blessed they should all feel for their nice homes and beds! “Not everyone is lucky enough to get these things, which all humans deserve."
As a follow up to this event, students will be heading to the South Oakland Shelter on October 14.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.