Another amazing Sleep Out weekend!
During the Sleep Out, one of our Board members asked one of our youth if he had any questions for our participants. He asked, very simply, why? Why would we sleep outside to help him and kids like him?
Me? I Sleep Out for kids like David.
David’s earliest memory was of his father duct-taping him to a car seat.
He went into the foster care system and was adopted, but his adoptive father abused him too. For years and years.
Last spring his adoptive father was beating him with a boat oar and had him pinned down. He couldn’t get up, couldn’t get away. He was trapped.
He fought back the only way he could. He bit his father. He got away.
Then the police came.
He spent three weeks in jail. Until our Covenant House team went to court and told the judge that “we have a place for him.” “He belongs with us,” our team said.
David has lived with us for the last seven months. He’s gained 40 pounds and he’s still thin - he was that undernourished.
He’s also come out of his shell. He’s shown his true personality. Even with all the challenges he’s faced he is positive, upbeat. He’s happy, despite what his family did to him. Because, as he told us while gesturing around the room at our other Covenant House kids and staff: “she’s my sister, he’s my brother, she’s my mom, and he’s my dad. I have a whole new big family now.”
We Sleep Out for David.
We Sleep Out to raise money to make sure that David and so many young people like him have food, clothes, a safe place to live, and the opportunity to transform their lives. But most important, we Sleep Out to build a community of people who care about our kids. Our kids aren’t homeless because they don’t have a home. They’re homeless because they don’t have a family. So we Sleep Out to build a community that says to every young person facing homelessness, abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, and apathy: “We have a place for you. You belong with us.”
This Thanksgiving holiday, please know that we – our kids, our staff, and all of us - are deeply grateful for you and your generous support of our Sleep Out.
With gratitude,
John
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