St. Charles church youth have hearts for the homeless

For the 6th year in a row, DuPage County young adults, including students in the youth ministry at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in St. Charles, will sleep outside during "Sleep Out Saturday," a Nov. 7 fundraiser that serves as a wake-up call about homelessness.

"We did SOS about three years ago and it was an eye-opening experience because we chose to sleep out in the cold, and the people whom we are attempting to raise funds for do not have that choice," according to Bill Crow of the St. John Neumann senior high youth ministry in response to an e-mail query. "We are also hoping to increase awareness as well for our community here at St. John Neumann."

"Sleep Out Saturday" will kick off with an outdoor rally from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7 at Bridge Communities, 505 Crescent Blvd. in Glen Ellyn. Then the groups will move to their individual sleep-out sites.

Approximately 1,600 teens, young adults and families will spend the night outside in tents, boxes or cars to raise money for Bridge Communities, an organization that provides housing for homeless families in DuPage County. The all-night event will be held in hundreds of backyards, parking lots and parks.

Last year's event raised more than $115,000 for Bridge Communities' programs, which also includes life-skills mentoring, an auto program, financial counseling and employment training. This year, Bridge hopes to raise $130,000.

Youth and adults from St. John Neumann participating in Sleep Out Saturday will attend the rally in Glen Ellyn, Crow said, and then come back to the church to do "a few activities to gain a better understanding of homelessness and also have some fun while we do it." That night the group will sleep outside on church property.

For more information on Sleep Out Saturday, to participate, or to sponsor a "sleeper," call 630-545-0610 or go to www.sleepoutsaturday.org .