Walk to End Homelessness raises $18,000
The Connecticut College community joined regional leaders, members of local faith communities and other members of the New London community to raise a record $18,000 at the ninth annual Walk to End Homelessness Sunday, April 24.
The two-mile walk around downtown New London was organized by Connecticut College students taking one of three courses: “Public Policy and Social Ethics” (for student scholars in the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy), “Feminist Social Research Methods” and “Design: Public Practice.”
The walk included three stops designed to raise awareness about homelessness. At one stop, participants were asked to write their answers to the question, “What will you do to end homelessness?”
At another, quotes from interviews students conducted with residents of the Homeless Hospitality Center were written on the ground in chalk.
“We just wanted to give [the NLHHC residents] a voice, and do that visually,” Alana Wimer ’18 told The Day.
The event also included food vendors, activities for children, a photo booth, musical performances, yoga and roller derby demonstrations.
All of the proceeds benefit the NLHHC, which provides shelter and support services for hundreds of people in southeastern Connecticut who need temporary or long-term assistance. Many Connecticut College students volunteer at the center, some as part of their scholarship in the Holleran Center.
*Photos by Maritza Ortega ’17
