The Junior League Montclair Newark Sleeps Out for Homeless Youth

Amidst Growing Coronavirus Concerns The Junior League of Montclair Newark Sleep Out Event Delivered over $82K for Covenant House Youth

Junior League Montclair Newark Sleep Out March 6, 2020

The Junior League of Montclair Newark joined the Covenant House Sleep Out program this year, brought much needed public awareness to this ongoing homelessness situation and made a huge contribution to the fund raising effort. Covenant House provides homeless young people with safe shelter and wrap-around services, including education and job training, so they can move forward to an adulthood free of poverty and the threat of homelessness. This year 4.2 million kids in America will face homelessness and The Junior League of Montclair Newark (JLMN) conducted a Sleep Out on the streets for one night so a number of those homeless kids don’t have to endure this homeless situation forever.

Corona- Virus Rears its Ugly Head

Google Corona Homeless Search Results Mar 25th 2020

Amidst Growing Corona-virus concerns a month or so ago, these Sleep-Out preparations and fundraising efforts were in place and the Corona virus was approaching which makes the situation worse not better. It just further shed a light on the fact that homelessness needs to be addressed more not less. While researching this subject, you truly understand the plight of the youth who are homeless and you do find that old saying popping into your head "There but for the grace of god go it". Unfortunate and unplanned situations are just that and anyone's life can be turned upside down, as this Corona-virus outbreak is showing us.

What is a Covenant House Sleep Out?

Sleep Outs are events that help Covenant House raise awareness about the problem of youth homelessness while raising critical funds needed to continue caring for the more than 3,000 homeless kids that come to Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) each year in crisis. By sleeping out with us, you are standing with us and our kids ensuring that we can continue to care for New Jersey’s homeless youth. Our work at CHNJ is funded primarily through private donations, enabling us to provide the best care possible. The more money we raise the more kids we can care for and the better the services we can provide to them. https://www.sleepout.org/index...

JLMN Montclair Sleep Out Campaign

National Covenant House Sleep Out Website

According to the Sleep Out: Montclair Community Edition website which stated the following message. You can make a big difference for homeless kids. The JLMN goal is fundraising for Covenant House to keep the lights on and the doors open for kids in need. Participants spend an evening getting to know some of the young people whose lives would be made better as a result of their efforts on their behalf. They were also encouraged to spend the rest of the night sleeping on the street in their place.

In my conversation with incoming 2020 President Elect: Heather LeClair made it clear that this campaign was and is a passion and an ongoing labor of love. In a side comment she mentioned she's from a small Ohio town where growing up and having possessions is normal. In preparing for the Sleep Out and what to take one realizes that while possessions are nice to have but as a homeless person it becomes a burden and more of a hindrance and not necessarily a pleasure.

L - R - President: Stephanie Hutton - President Elect: Heather LeClair,

Heather also mentioned in terms of the event, that when some rain came thru we tend to think shelter and the rain will stop and or we can go home soon. During the sleep out it hits you that this situation doesn't stop for these homeless youth when daylight comes, the fight for survival on the streets doesn't stop at daylight and the need for a Covenant house is even more important than ever. It's a safety net that all homeless youth should have.

When Success In Mandatory

Jersey League Montclair Newark Sleep-Out Team

They say when success is mandatory and not an option, you do what you have to do. The Junior League of Montclair Newark galvanized their members and they went about fundraising with a vengeance that produced what I believe is the largest amount ever raised by a JLMN chapter in this their inaugural Sleep-Out event. At last look The Junior League of Montclair Newark Sleep Out campaign proudly raised over $80, 000 for Covenant House.

Janette Scrozzo, Director of Development of Covenant House New Jersey, commented on their efforts and shared the following: “We are inspired and grateful to the Junior League of Montclair-Newark. These amazing women are committed and passionate about serving homeless and trafficked youth in their own backyards. The Sleep Out sends an important message to homeless and trafficked young people that they are not alone and people truly care"

This is truly an amazing amount and even more importantly because of the CoronaVirus pandemic and the new social distancing environment, fundraising of this nature is taking a back burner for a while until as they say we flatten the curve. However you can clearly tell that this JLMN chapter was very much involved, energized and invigorated by this campaign. Big huge kudos to The Junior League of Montclair Newark!!!

About The Junior League of Montclair Newark

The JLMN is a supportive, amazing organization of women whose mission is to promote voluntarism, develop the potential of women and improve the community through trained volunteers. Our reach is magnified by the training that we receive with the JLMN, which we then bring to every other organization that we work with in the future. Our members include business owners, working mothers, professional women and stay-at-home moms from diverse backgrounds – and all are volunteers working together to build a better community. Lean more at The Junior League of Montclair Newark and you can click here for their current programs

About Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ)

Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) provides sanctuary and support for youth ages 18-21 facing homelessness or human trafficking. We have seven locations across the state: Atlantic City, Newark, Jersey City, Camden, and Asbury Park, and specialized care in Montclair and Elizabeth. Across all our New Jersey sites, we serve about 4,585 youth annually, and all our services are free.

Our programs: At CHNJ’s Montclair-based program, Nancy’s House, young people with special mental health needs who are facing homelessness can get the attention they require. At Nancy’s House, we help youth acquire the skills they need to be able to thrive on their own. We also run a supportive apartment-living program in Montclair for youth who have developed the maturity and skill to live independently with minimal supervision. Learn more https://www.covenanthouse.org/homeless-shelters/montclair-new-jersey

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