Even with the chilly wind and the frosty mornings, October in Grand Junction can be the perfect setting for a fall campout. One night under the stars seems like a fun adventure, but imagine sleeping outside every night all winter long.
The Social Work Club at Colorado Mesa University is inviting students to watch a movie and camp out with their friends and families this Friday, to raise awareness for the homeless population in the Grand Valley and throughout the nation.
“There’s not enough awareness about the homeless situation in our town,” Social Work Club member, Brandi Byars said.
Many people are forced to sleep out in the cold every night, and the hope for the sleepout is that it will give students a night to experience “what it feels like to live that way.”
The Social Work Club is working with HomewardBound, an organization that provides support and care for the homeless.
Since the Grand Junction City Council proclaimed October as National Homeless Awareness Month and Oct. 10 was World Homeless Day, HomewardBound felt that this was a good time to host an event to raise awareness for their cause.
This will be the organization’s first annual sleepout event, and it is also “the first year that Grand Junction is honoring and observing World Homeless Day,” said Byars.
The club is expecting a group of less than 50 to attend this Friday’s event. The night will begin at 6 p.m., with a documentary film from the Los Angeles Times called “On the Streets,” a 12-part video series about the hardships of homeless life, specifically in Southern California. The movie will be on Elm Quad in front of the University Center, where the sleepout will take place following the showing. The event will end at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning.
