Student Sleep Outs this Fall are off to strong start. Students across NJ have already raised $180,000 to support our work helping youth facing homelessness here in NJ.
Led by St. Joseph Regional High School of Montvale, 100 students participated in an on campus Sleep Out. The event was on top of an April Sleep Out held virtually. The two events combined to raise over $91,000. John Asselta, Director of the Performing Arts, celebrated his 11th year bringing the Sleep Out to the school.
Graduating senior, Nicholas Cevetillo said, “I listened to the speakers from The Covenant House and really learned what the program was all about…When it came time to do the actual Sleep Out, I began to understand what homeless people experience each and every night.”
St. Joseph High School of Metuchen kicked off the Student Sleep Out year in October with over 130 student sleepers. They raised over $16,500. This is the highest participation rate and the most amount raised in the school’s history. Tracey Courdiet, The Director Of Campus Ministry, attributes the success of the students to their excitement returning to an in-person Sleep Out program after previously doing it virtually.
Student groups from multiple high schools also particpated in a statewide event – Sleep Out: Action For Change. These schools included, Kinnelon High School, Morristown High School, Saint Ann’s School, Eastern Christian High School, and Pascack Hills High School. These schools combined to raise over $30,000 for our social justice based Sleep Out.
The Fall Sleep Out season ended the day after Thanksgiving, at The Seven Scoops Ice Cream Shop in Pine Brook. Seven Scoops is managed by the Olohan Family. Team Captain Anna Olohan, a senior at Villa Walsh Academy, invited friends and classmates to the event. Over 50 members of the community came together and raised over $33,000. In an Instagram post, the family stated, “Seven Scoops will also match $10,000 to support Covenant House.”
Thank you to the students, their family members, and the communities who slept out to make such a successful Sleep Out season so far! You can learn more about Student Sleep Outs here or contact AJ Albanese at aalbanese@covenanthouse.org
