On-campus initiative looks to educate students about the effects of homelessness
This week on campus, there have been five business students in bright orange shirts running around with change-filled coffee cups. According to Ashin Lal, president of 5 Days for the Homeless in Guelph, the campaign hopes to “drive awareness for homelessness.”
The non-profit charity has returned to the Guelph campus in its seventh-year running, in support of Wyndham house—a local homeless shelter that serves at-risk youth. However, the group not only hope to reach their goal of $15,000, but the five students participating in the campaign hope to gain perspective and raise awareness in a gonzo-style charity fundraiser.
“We have students sleeping outside for five days straight, where they have no meals unless it is donated to them, no drinks unless it is donated to them, and they’re not going to be taking showers,” said Lal, in an interview with The Ontarion. “The only things they’re going to be doing is going to class; without laptops, without phones. Without any [technology] really. The only access they are going to have to a computer is at midnight where they write a 5 Days for the Homeless blog post.”
Lal himself was a sleeper three-years-ago, and he spoke about the highs and lows of his 5 Days for the Homeless experience.
“It started to snow, it started to rain,” said Lal. “It was terrible weather. Out of the five days, there were two blizzards. We were actually told to sleep inside Alexander Hall. We were like no. We were going to do it the genuine legit way.”
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…students sleeping outside for five days straight…[/pullquote]
Lal spoke about his experiences of starving one morning, however, he and his fellow sleepers only had a soggy pizza that had gone through a night of rain and snow.
“It was an interesting flavour, I’ll tell you that,” said Lal.
Despite the weather being uncooperative, his fellow students across campus all wanted to be a part of the fundraising. Students were dancing with the sleepers, and Lal had a very interesting first impression of the dean of his college.
“I actually met the dean of my college through this,” explained Lal. “It was by me making a fool of myself, and not knowing she was the dean. I believe I was pelvic thrusting to get donations, just dancing. And lo-and-behold, I did it to the dean and the executive assistant in the [College of Business] office. It was pretty funny, but that’s just a few [stories].”
Although Lal and 5 Days for the Homeless hope to exceed their $15,000 ambitions, the fundraisers ultimate goal is slightly different.
“It’s more awareness for it,” explained Lal. “You can put monetary value on anything, but at the same time, it’s the passion for it. I know myself, when I was in high school, I didn’t really bat an eye to homelessness. I didn’t really think anything of it. I was naive. I was ignorant to it. But after being part of [5 Days for the Homeless] in first year, it makes me want to be a part of it for the rest of my life now.”
Jared Ropchan, a sleeper this year, said that it would be even more rewarding if he and his fellow sleepers could be doing it for more than five days.
“It’s for such a good cause, everything we do, it really improves the lives for the people that don’t necessarily have access to the things we take for granted everyday,” said Ropchan, in an interview with The Ontarion.
Ropchan said that first night was cold and windy, but that it was for a good cause and so it was easy to move past the frigid night.
“It could be so much worse,” said Ropchan. “It’s so easy to get motivated. It was bad, but it could be so much worse. We have it so easy in our lives, so it’s really motivating to make a difference.”
After being involved with 5 Days for the Homeless for three straight years, Ashwin Lal wanted students across the country to know to, “be grateful for what you have, if you have even anything; if you have a cellphone in your pocket; if you can open the door to your own house; if you can say hi to your parents, things like that. These are the things that are overlooked… And the most important part of all this: having a meal. Being able to choose between Timmies, Starbucks, and McDonald’s, that’s a privilege on its own.”
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