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Generally, parents don’t want their teenagers to stay out on the streets all night. But for teens involved in the God Squad at Holy Name of Mary Church in Croton-on-Hudson, sleeping out during the first weekend of December has become a rite of passage. And it’s all for a good cause.
“We have been running our Homeless Awareness Sleep-out for over 10 years. Our youth group, ‘God Squad,’ is very focused on social justice issues. It has always been our goal to get our children involved in their community at a very young age,” said youth minister Carl Barnes.
During the sleep-out, the teenagers collect food and clothing for ministries including the Loaves and Fishes ministry in Ossining, homeless shelters in Peekskill and Midnight Runs in Manhattan.
“The Sleep-out has served as a very hands-on experience that really makes the physical and spiritual connection for our kids that we hope will leave a lasting impression on them to stay involved in their own communities and to look outside themselves to others in greater need,” Barnes said.
More than 40 teens participated in the sleep-out Dec. 6-7.
Nick Derbabian, 17, who was slept out for the fourth time, said, “Each year throughout this experience I understand just how good I have it. People are sleeping in boxes night in and night out, and the fact that our group is doing it for one night; it's a small sample.”
This year’s guest speaker was Cardinal Dolan, who told the teens that “we were doing a great act of charity, and you could see how happy and proud he was that us young adults were taking the initiative to help the homeless,” Nick said.
Caroline Barnes, a 17-year-old and another four-year sleep-out veteran, told CNY, “It's taught me a lot about how a community can come together to support a cause and make a change, as every year people walk by the event exclaiming how amazing and bold we are for putting ourselves in the shoes of the homeless for a night.”
“It also reminds me what the Christmas spirit and season is all about. The event comes at a perfect time of the year to remind us that we are blessed to have a house, food, family and friends in our lives, and because of that, we don't really need anything else,” she said.
“Although it's cold, it's worth it,” she added. “I always leave the following Sunday feeling warm inside knowing that what we did as a group would change someone's life for the better.”
Kyle Rossini, 17, told CNY that this was a particularly difficult year to sleep outside because it was not only cold but also rainy and windy.
Another teen, Sarah Van Ells, 15, said the difficult weather conditions showed the teens how hard it is for people living without a roof over their heads. “We are really outside from 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. in the afternoon until Mass the next morning, so it begins to set in that the homeless don't get a break” she said. “We try to eat minimally, and especially with the rain this year we felt kind of trapped. However I know that personally that night I was thinking of those who are truly homeless and who were braving the same cold night.”
Even though it’s hard, the teens keep coming back year after year. “The thing that has brought me back to the sleep-out for the past two years is the satisfaction of knowing that I am taking time to advocate for a worthy cause,” Kyle said.
“This time of the year is the time to be unselfish and give to others, and this experience allowed me to take the time to help the homeless through the means of God and my faith
