On Tuesday, March 10, Villanova hosted its second sleep-out in honor of the Covenant House. The sleep-out is a global movement that seeks to raise awareness for youth homelessness.
According to the Covenant House, more than four million “young people experience homelessness each year.” The Covenant House is the largest funded agency in America that provides direct support and services to youth battling homelessness.
On Tuesday evening, Villanovans gathered together to raise money and awareness for this cause. A speaker event directly preceded the sleep-out during which students had the opportunity to hear from Covenant House board member Debbie McCabe, Covenant House resident William Brown and Covenant House Developmental Operations Director Lusana Masrur. Masrur works especially on youth overcoming homelessness and human trafficking, which is one of the leading dangers that homeless youth face.
As they rested their heads on the lawn of the Riley Ellipse, Villanova student volunteers were invited to reflect on how fortunate they are to live without constant concern for where they will sleep each night, a reality that so many young people tragically face.
“The sleep-out really gave me a new perspective,” freshman Sofia Davis said. “It made me realize how much we take for granted every day, [like] basic necessities. I would encourage students to get involved next year because they will not find an opportunity like this elsewhere.”
Junior Michael Morrissey has been volunteering at sleep-out fundraising events since his sophomore year of high school. Morrissey is the director for the Covenant House Sleep-Out organized at Villanova. He spoke about how he draws inspiration from his foster sister, Jayla.
“That really put a face to the cause for me,” Morrissey said.
Morrissey introduced the Covenant House Sleep-Out to the Villanova community last year, during which 50 sleepers raised $39,000 for the cause. This year, the event beat both of those numbers with 100 people at the speaker event held before the sleep-out and 87 total sleepers. They have already hit $40,000.
“It’s really great to see how our school can have that big of an impact,” Morrissey said.
Behind Morrissey was a team of students who were advocates during Hunger Homelessness Awareness Week. They were integral in fundraising, advertising and promoting the event.
Students had the opportunity to take part firsthand in the sleep-out and raise money through their individualized fundraising pages.
“You wake up after the sleep-out feeling so tired,” Morrissey said. “But then you go home, you shower, you eat a hot meal and you go to bed comfortably that night. You’re not guaranteed any of those things. When you realize that, it puts into perspective how important the sleep-out event truly is.”
The Covenant House Sleep-Out will be held next year as well, and Morrissey encourages the Villanova community to get involved. There were some great incentives for fundraising, including the opportunity for Big East tickets.
Next year, Morrissey hopes to implement a team system that may drive students to fundraise even more.
“I feel very blessed to be in the position we are in at Villanova,” Morrissey said. “It’s almost only fair if we help those who aren’t as fortunate as we are to get the same chance we do. It is important to hear the stories and understand the problem that we are working so hard to end.”
