Thomas Guardino

Day of Service

September 12, 2015

On the morning of September 12, 2015, I was not entirely sure what to expect of the Day of Service. We were greeted with breakfast and broken up into teams. After opening remarks, our teams were sent to our first activities of the day. For Team Red, we entered the Theater and sat down to listen to representatives from various organizations.

Of the organizations in the Theater that spoke to us, the one that definitely caught my attention the most was the Covenant House. Located in Atlantic City, New Jersey, this organization opened my eyes to a new perspective on homelessness. This is a shelter for mostly teens who are without a safe home to return to every night. They offer over twenty beds and three meals a day. They provide the opportunity for these lost teens to continue their education and push them to do so.

Growing up with a father who commuted into Manhattan every day and tagging along to multiple ‘Bring Your Kid to Work’ days, I had always been familiar with the homeless that inhabited the busy streets. However, they all seemed to be middle-aged. I never truly considered what it may be like for a teenager to be in that horrible situation. Since poverty and homelessness is a scary reality, it is comforting to know that these unfortunate teens have a place to go where they will be taken care of.