April is the month to SLEEP OUT! Beyond the 2nd annual Sleep Out! taking place on Friday, April 12th at COSI, Huckleberry House’s proven programs will benefit from sleepers at Bexley High School and The Wellington School. Read below to learn more about these two upcoming events helping to end youth homelessness in our community.
Bexley High School Sleep Out!
Q&A with Anna Schottenstein, Bexley Teacher
- Why are you hosting a Sleep Out at Bexley High School?
- We are hosting the Sleep Out at Bexley High School because it is important for students to be empowered to make a change in their community, become educated about local issues and teach others, and become more active in the community without just giving money. This provides students with experiences they will not have in a classroom but are essential life lessons.
- What will the event look like at Bexley?
- Throughout the night about 150-200 students will attend the sleep out. We will have music, movies, s’mores, a cookout, games, activities and various ways to raise money for the Huck House. We will also do a collection drive to get high need items. While students will be having a lot of fun at the event, we also spend a significant amount of time reflecting on how fortunate we are to only sleep outside for one night and have nice homes and loving families to return home to every other night.
- What is your goal for the event?
- Our goal for the event is to raise awareness for homelessness in central Ohio, while also having a great experience. Students plan and organize all aspects of the event preparing them to be the leaders of tomorrow. We also hope to raise $5,000 for the Huck House.
The Wellington School Sleep Out!
Q&A with Max Thesing & Katz Kadlic, Seniors at Wellington
- Why are you hosting a Sleep Out at Wellington?
- We are hosting a Sleep Out at Wellington to raise awareness for youth homelessness in central Ohio. We both attended the first annual Sleep Out! last year and were inspired to host our very own. It was an incredibly uncomfortable experience and no one should have to go through being homeless. We believe hosting the Wellington Sleep Out is a great way for the our community to experience being homeless to an extent.
- What will the event look like at Wellington?
- The Wellington Sleep Out will be similar to the Huckleberry House Sleep Out. At Wellington, we will be sleeping outside to create an uncomfortable environment. The two of us will give an informational meeting inside of the school before going outside. There will be various activities to do such as watch movies regarding homelessness, play board games, etc. The next morning, we will be providing people with breakfast food and packing up the event.
- How are you raising awareness for the event?
- We are making announcements, hosting a guest speaker, creating a website, and selling t-shirts. The two of us have made many announcements to the high school during morning meeting for those who are interested in attending the Sleep Out. We also hosted guest speaker Kyra Crockett-Hodge. Kyra is the head of the youth outreach program at Huckleberry House. She spoke about what she does at Huckleberry House and her experience at last year’s Huckleberry House Sleep Out. We created a website with general information about the Wellington Sleep Out. We are accepting donations to Huckleberry House on our website and selling t-shirts.
- What will you do with all the funds raised?
- We will be donating all of our proceeds to the Huckleberry House so they can continue to do the incredible work they’re already doing in the central Ohio community.
