Covenant House Texas and Do1Thing are working together to encourage communities to do one thing for homeless teenagers this Valentine’s Day.
CHT is accepting donations of clothing, toiletries, bus cards, baby items, gift cards and monetary donations at its shelter on 1111 Lovett Blvd.’
UH alumnus Shaun Light said CHT and projects similar to Do1Thing helped him get his life back on track.
‘I don’t think I would have been able to go back to college and finish my degree if CHT had not helped me when they did,’ he said.
Light went to CHT when he was 19 years old, after his brother and his ailing mother moved to New Jersey. Light had a job but didn’t make enough money to support himself or to buy a car to get to work. He said he had no relatives or friends he could count on either.’ ‘
‘My options were severely limited. I knew that if I didn’t act quickly, I would be homeless or living in a bad situation,’ Light said.
He turned to CHT for help.
‘CHT gave me the thing I needed most – a safe place to stop, breathe and take stock of my situation,’ Light said.’ ‘It provided me with my basic necessities, guidance and friendship while I tried to figure out what my next steps should be.’
Light graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and is now working in the office of City Council member Melissa Noriega.
He was one of the thousands of people who reaped the benefits of CHT and the outpouring of help from the community. The shelter provides food, clothing, health care, guidance counseling, continued education classes and vocational training to all of the kids under the care of its staff.
Ronda G. Robinson, executive director and CEO of CHT, said each person is important and deserves a future with hope.
‘The Do1Thing project on (Saturday) is a great opportunity for people to show they care about young people who are homeless and need a little help,’ Robinson said.
The project was organized in response to the number of kids living on the streets and in shelters.’ Journalist and photographers nationwide wanted to highlight the plight of homeless youth by calling individuals and communities to action.
Photographers, videographers and journalists will document and share the stories on the Do1Thing Web site, www.do1thing.org.’ The pictures and videos will be updated throughout the day, and good-deed doers can upload their footage as well.
‘Homeless youth are easy targets for predators of all kinds, and too often they end up in extremely bad, life-changing situations that they may not be able to escape (from),’ Light said.’ ‘CHT and shelters like it are vital in keeping kids from getting sucked into drugs, prostitution, human trafficking and crime.’
For a complete list of items needed or for more information, visit www.covenanthousetx.org.
