I have two daughters in sixth grade at Holy Name School. A few years back, the class decided to participate in “Bob’s Sleep Out.”Bob’s Sleep Out is regional tradition started when Bob decided to sleep outside until a certain amount of money to help the poor. His efforts benefited and benefit Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners.
So the sixth grade class sleeps out every year to raise money for this very worthy cause. My two daughters despite having two basketball games and very, very cold temperatures decided that they were going to sleep out and I was the designated parent chaperon.
I have never slept outside in the winter and didn’t know what to expect. I did now my camping gear is designed for 75 degree summer whether and so I was more than a little worried that I was going to freeze.
I was hoping that the kids would stay inside watching movies or playing games until very late and would get up very early and we would go home after spending a few hours outside. Once home we would take a shower and a nap.
The girls did a better job than I did. I woke up once in the night to go to the bathroom and had to re-warm my entire body. Even with winter clothing on and a sleeping bag and a tent, I felt like I was trying to sleep in cold water. Anything exposed got cold immediately. I could feel the seams in my sleeping bag as the cold attacked the thinnest area of insulation. There was frost on the inside of the tent and around the area were we were breathing.
I woke up a little after five and felt like I was never going to get any warmer and I was too cold to sleep. I snuck out of the tent, climbed in my car and headed to a nearby gas station. I figured I could hang out for a half hour and then head back and by that time others would be awake.
Finally everyone was up, we packed up our cold and wet belongings and headed home. Despite a working out and taking a long hot shower, I still was cold. I think sometime on Sunday, I might have started to warm up.
It was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. I have far more sympathy for those without shelter. I figure I had it good compared to many – knowing a warm house was not far away and knowing that it was a one night gig – I was going to sleep in a warm house and warm bed for the foreseeable future.
The best part of the experience was that school raised $20,000 for IOCP. It was a great accomplishment brought on by there willingness to suffer and by the generosity of their parents and friends.
Tags: sleeping outside, freezing, homelessness, Interfaith Outreach
February 5, 2008 at 2:46 pm |
What a great event! As an agency supporting the homeless, we’re always looking to raise awareness, and yours is one of the better ideas I’ve heard. It’s great that your kids are already interested in social issues at a young age. With the economy tightening at the moment, it is getting harder and harder for the needy to find the support they need.