Judson Bliss Water Bottle Analysis

If someone were to see Judson Bliss, the Director of Homeless Programs at St. Patrick Center in downtown St. Louis, at work, they might notice the water bottle he often carries around with him. Wrapped around Bliss’ water bottle is a simple bracelet that conveys much deeper meaning about the work that he does, and a large-scale issue in American society: homelessness. The bracelet Bliss’ son, an Affton High School student, gave to him, was a fundraising bracelet for the son’s math teacher whose child was afflicted by a form of cancer. The fundraiser was created by a homeless student. Yes, a homeless student. “This story just lets everybody know that being homeless doesn’t say anything about how much you care about other people, how smart you are, how resourceful you are or anything like that. What it says is where you stay at night,” Bliss said. Homelessness is a major concern among communities and school …show more content…
Clayton is known to be an affluent and fortunate community. The community boasts a school district with an average teacher salary nearly double the national average, and is a district whose students represent it in an optimal fashion academically. Contrary to popular belief, Clayton, both the school district and the community, see eye-to-eye with the issue of homelessness. It’s a fact. The School District of Clayton deals with several situations of students being impacted directly by homelessness every year. Julie Engelhard, a Student Services assistant for the School District of Clayton, handles the instances of homelessness as they arise. Engelhard acknowledges that Clayton does have it well-off in comparison to other districts in regard to the magnitude of their homeless issue. However, she also made it clear that Clayton (School District) does indeed experience occasional situations where students and families are affected by not having a stable place to call