Empower Change: Homes4Homeless Fundraiser

Hello, I'm Coden.

I'm a Senior at Millikan High School. As part of my social justice initiative and Senior Capstone Project, I have chosen to continue with a cause that is near and dear to my heart: homelessness. Let me tell you a little bit about why this cause means a lot to me.

Since my youth, I've had an affinity for helping people experiencing homelessness. I'd always been a deeply emotional person who had felt the pain of others even when I barely knew them. That is why it unsettled me when I noticed a homeless woman just a block from my house. Joanna was an elderly woman, yet she was forced to endure the harsh winds of the wild streets, and every day when my mom drove me to and from school, I would wonder how she ended up here in the first place, intently curious about her story. Soon after, I and my mother began talking to the woman. We would bring her blankets, food, utensils, and other supplies to support her. As we continued to help her, more of her tale unfolded. And the more that we learned, the more we were disgusted. She used to be a nurse. However, she was an immigrant and therefore exploited by the system while struggling with mental health issues simultaneously.

As a result, she was laid off and unable to find another job. We did as much as possible for her, but she had disappeared one day. She was nowhere to be seen, and the local neighborhood app and outlets that usually spoke of her whereabouts stopped reporting on her. To this day, I do not know what happened to her, but my eyes are open, and I then realized that she was only 1 of many who had been exploited by an unfair world and chained down in a place they did not deserve to be.

Countless people across America suffer the same fate as she did, and almost nobody comes to their aid. Ever since I met Joanna, I noticed people without housing began to spry up everywhere. But the horrifying truth is that they had not just appeared out of nowhere. They were always there. However, I was now realizing how many there were. How many people had been downtrodden by the system and forced to live this way? How many people were all alone, and nobody cared enough to help? They, too, deserve to be treated fairly and have the same quality of life.

As I noticed more unhoused individuals, it was as if I'd uncovered an underground community of hundreds of people, all in dire need of assistance yet ignored by all. Members of our society ignorantly labeled as the lowest common denominator for factors likely outside of their control are deemed unworthy. We do not know their situations. We can't tell their stories. We do not know what caused them to end here, but some would still choose ignorance rather than compassion. And the ones that do not simply select non-action rather than being proactive. Only some people would still choose the path of compassion to help those without other choices. But a few people are not nearly enough. If real change is to occur, everyone must play their part. Everyone must rise to the challenge and choose the path of compassion and not hate or ignorance to lift their fellow man from despair. Sadly, this is not the type of world we live in today, but I dream that this fantasy will one day become our reality.

The Homes4Homeless Fundraiser aims to raise conscious awareness and funds for programs that help prevent homelessness by providing shelter, food, and diverse support systems to unhoused people, individuals, and families. All proceeds will be donated to Christian Outreach in Action. If you'd like to learn more about COA, please see the link below.

https://youtu.be/iHVFM6pvtGE?si=nCJFaIVuTgk46_yQ

Please join me in supporting the Homes4Homeless Fundraiser. Share our cause with friends if you want to help! We can change our community and the world one step at a time.