Sleeping in cardboard boxes.

     I had to take some self-portraits for my Photo Arts class at RIT. The sunset created such beautiful and warm light, and I was excited to see what kind of photos I could get. By the time I had all my equipment ready and outside, the sunlight had run away across campus. So, of course, I chased it, yelling for it to come back to me. But it gave me the cold shoulder, leaving me in a dreary grey atmosphere to which I have become unfortunately accustomed. However, as I made it to the academic side of campus, I saw a peculiar setup next to the infamous tiger statue across from the Eastman Building: a few students from the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity were standing in front of what looked like a cardboard box fort. A young man standing among them held a cardboard sign that read "Warm bed? You're better off than 770,000 Americans tonight." My heart leapt. Those of you that know me understand that I have a warm place in my heart for the homeless, and I'm working on getting a bill in Senate passed, S. 1765: Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act of 2009. Seeing other people taking a stand for the homeless excited me more than words can describe. Camera and tripod in hand, I approached the man holding the sign and asked, "What are you doing and how can I help?"

     It turns out these students, to raise awareness for the homeless, are sleeping outside on the ground in cardboard boxes for an entire week and are collecting donations for Rochester's local House of Mercy. I was so excited to hear this; they even let me crawl into their awesome "fort". So, as you can see, I've pledged to help these students in their cause by using my passion for photography. 

Dedication at its finest.

The blue tarp overhead created beautiful lighting. That fort was actually quite cozy!

If you'd like to help us in this cause, donations will be gladly accepted!

The House of  Mercy

725 Hudson Avenue

Rochester, NY 14621

585.546.2580