I would have to say I’ve led a pretty charmed life. I am the youngest of three in an Italian-Catholic family. We live in a nice upper-middle/middle class neighborhood. My dad is a retired Pharmacist who owned his own drug store for over 25 years and my mom is a “stay-at-home” mom. My two sisters are 13 and 15 years older than me so at times it felt like I had three moms! I’ve never lacked for love and affection, great food, a nice roof over my head or any material good I could ever want or need. I thrive on family and family gatherings with all of my aunts, uncles and cousins.
So this year when I recently fulfilled a service requirement at my high school called “Urban Plunge,” my eyes were opened to something I had never experienced before. In this program, students participate in an inner-city immersion experience to visit the homeless, feed the hungry, and volunteer at local Catholic charities. My “Urban Plunge” was at the Youth Empowerment Program in downtown Columbus, Ohio. …show more content…
A couple of the volunteers there happened to be homeless. One of them was Brian. We found out while talking to him that he was from Dayton, Ohio and in his mid-20’s. He had been a part of gangs since he was very young and was often getting into serious trouble. He eventually decided he needed to make a better life for himself and the best way to do that was to leave Dayton behind and start a new life in Columbus. In Columbus, he lived life on the streets and visited community centers and shelters for meals. He happened to eat lunch with us that
So this year when I recently fulfilled a service requirement at my high school called “Urban Plunge,” my eyes were opened to something I had never experienced before. In this program, students participate in an inner-city immersion experience to visit the homeless, feed the hungry, and volunteer at local Catholic charities. My “Urban Plunge” was at the Youth Empowerment Program in downtown Columbus, Ohio. …show more content…
A couple of the volunteers there happened to be homeless. One of them was Brian. We found out while talking to him that he was from Dayton, Ohio and in his mid-20’s. He had been a part of gangs since he was very young and was often getting into serious trouble. He eventually decided he needed to make a better life for himself and the best way to do that was to leave Dayton behind and start a new life in Columbus. In Columbus, he lived life on the streets and visited community centers and shelters for meals. He happened to eat lunch with us that