Beyond the Box - Covenant House Sleep out 2019
**EDITED: Adding the 2023 Covenant House Fundraiser Page here. Please consider supporting this cause by Nov 16: https://www.sleepout.org/participant/TechDiva
This blog is about my experience at my first Covenant House Sleep out in 2019 and what I learned ‘beyond the box’. I continued to participate, joined the board, and I am currently fundraising as part of my 5th sleepout for this great cause!
This November 2019, the Covenant House held a unique fundraising event where people both fundraise and “sleep out” for one night in solidarity with the homeless in an effort to end youth homelessness. The Covenant House organization is one of the largest privately funded non-profits that provides shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and an array of other services to homeless and runaway youth. We learned during our time there that it is simply: Love, Services, and Support. Essentials we all deserve in life.
Cisco is always encouraging us to not just create a great corporate culture internally, but to make a difference in the world. Our leaders across the organization pledged to support this effort and raise more than ever before. In 2018, there were 148 sleepers in 9 cities that raised roughly $580,000. This year, there were over 500 sleepers in 13 cities, with a goal to raise $1.5 Million for this great cause.
I was honored this year to participate in the annual sleep out as a ‘sleeper’. Although this Texas native was definitely unsure why I was committing to sleep outside in a Michigan winter, I knew this would be a life changing experience and that my Cisco team would be there for me. I am so excited to share the highlights of this experience with you!
We arrived with a bag full of things I thought would help me get through a cold night, but it was more than the homeless youth have available. This included everything from extra socks to hand warmers. We all joined outside for a candle light vigil where we joined together to show support for the at risk youth that the Covenant House supports. After that, we moved inside to hear from the organization leadership before we were escorted with one of their outstanding outreach leaders, Stephanie, to a bus. We then traveled throughout Detroit where she pointed out the places where they pick up these young people, explained the process, and shared some stories from her experience. It was eye opening to see that places I have been enjoying in Detroit for years, turn out to be homes for people once darkness falls. Later that night, we returned to the basketball court and setup our two cardboard boxes in the misty night darkness. We stayed there all night until 5 AM the next morning. When 5 AM came, I have never seen people move that quickly to pack up in the near freezing silent cold. We rejoined for breakfast and final thoughts before we returned back to finish the day.
They also gave us an envelope with two papers. One was a testimony of someone who had arrived at the Covenant House and their background. Mine was a young woman who had moved, locally but found herself in an abusive relationship with no way out. That morning, we were able to read the second paper that explained how the Covenant House found them a better alternative and forever changed their life. That was a great way for each person to feel connected to the individual journeys of those we were trying to help.
The most impactful moment for me was during the last activity where someone from the current program sat with a small group of us in a roundtable. We all got to know each other and learn about their personal journey that brought them to the Covenant House. There were maybe a dozen groups doing this and much respect to the youth for being vulnerable while sharing their story with us. However, something happened at our table that was pretty touching. The young man introduced himself and mentioned he was named after his mother and father. He did say his father had passed and his mother got very sick. He went on to share that through some situations, he was kicked out and needed a place to live to get on his feet. It was clear that he was carrying a lot of responsibility for his sick mother, but was a very capable, happy young man. After he shared, another sleeper at our table said, “Wait, so you are named after your father, so does your grandfather share the same name?” He verified that this was true, but the young man did not seem to know his grandfather. It turns out the man there for the sleepout has known this young mans’ grandfather for 25 years and was now going to reconnect them. This was something that stood out for me as a simple twist in fate having that young man at our table with this volunteer who was able to piece together this connection.
One universal lesson from this experience is that there is not one stereotype for why youth get into this situation. They are great people with bright futures and that is why the Covenant House is such an important organization to engage with youth so they can make good life choices and regain control of their lives.
In fact, my journey supporting the homeless did not start here and will not end here. For many reasons, I am personally committed to supporting organizations that help the homeless. In fact, I entered in Art Prize 2011 as an artist with a project that used technology to tell the real journey of three individuals in three different phases of homelessness through a digital stop light. I did interviews with three individuals and anonymously shared their journey through my art while also doing a fundraiser. The ‘Stop Light of Hope’ was one way I gave them a voice and raised money for the Grand Rapids shelters. I am also known for visiting a popular spot for the homeless to hand out food when there is extra from my professional events and always look to support organizations locally.
I am proud to report that I reached my personal fundraising goal of $5,000, the Covenant House Michigan reached their goal of $325,000 with over $130,000 of it coming from team Cisco, and Cisco has been able to raise $1.6 MILLION (at time of this article) across all the sites for this organization.
I would love to end by sharing my own words of gratitude coming from this experience and some final thoughts for all of you.
I am grateful for all the ‘sleepers’ around the world that came together for this great cause.
I am grateful for the box that kept me warm through this experience one night in Detroit.
I am grateful for my welcoming home and family that await me every night after this.
I am grateful for all the people that join me in making an impact in our local communities.
I am grateful for all the opportunities I have been given in my career.
I am grateful for this experience taking me beyond my comfort zone.
I am grateful that this will forever challenge me to take these lessons into my everyday life.
I am grateful for my heart that is full of gratitude and love.
Again, Thank you for your kindness, your donations, and your well wishes throughout this process. I really hope all this love can truly extend ‘beyond the box’ so we can all live each day with an open heart to all people that is free of judgement.
Donations are still accepted HERE until Jan 2, 2020 if you feel compelled
I also found this collage along the halls at the Covenant House and loved it, so sharing.
So remember to be kind. Be the light. Go ‘beyond the box’ everyday with acts of love and respect to raise people up. #YOLO
