TCTC Students Spend a Night in the Cold

In the Multimedia Tech Prep class, the instructor, John Bagnola has a motto. Learn it, experience it and pass it on. Recently several of the students in the program put thought into practice. Instead of discussing the plight of homeless people in the comfort of the classroom, they spent 24 hours walking in the shoes of someone without enough to eat or a place to sleep. They participated in a program sponsored by the Sheltered Reality Organization.

Chris Wineland from Champion, Leslie Rogers from Lakeview, and Greg Witt from Newton Falls invested 24 hours of their time living in a homeless shelter that was set up in front of the Howland Community Church. They worked in the soup kitchen serving food, constructed cardboard boxes as shelter for sleep, and listened to presentations from speakers about the plight of the homeless. John Bagnola took pictures during their vigil that will be used to create a three minute video presentation. This will be aired on educational television next month. The topic will concern the trials and tribulations of homeless people in our valley and how we can help them.

Chris Vineland stated, “I didn’t realize how cold it can get at night and this was only October. I can’t imagine what it would be like sleeping in the elements in the dead of winter. Leslie Rogers said, “I learned to appreciate my warm bed and home cooked meals. I will no longer take them for granted. We need to reach to out to people who are not so fortunate.”

The students pointed out a common misperception about homeless people. For every wino panhandling for money, they are many, many more women and children without sufficient food or shelter. The speakers at the event noted that many homeless people have jobs, but they don’t make enough money to pay for their rent.

It is written in the Scriptures, “I was naked and you clothed me, I was hungry and you fed me.” This event becomes a teachable moment for students. They absorbed lessons not available during the regular school day. Hopefully, the videos created and the televised broadcast of their experiences will allow the message to be relayed to many others. To paraphrase John Bagnola, they have lived it; now they must pass it on.