Xavier PR students fight teen homelessness
10th April 2012 · 0 Comments
By Kelly Parker
key alternative loan Contributing Writer
While most area high school students anticipate the end of another school year with joy, many are burdened with the dilemma of finding a place to call home.
There are an estimated 1.6 to 2.8 million homeless youth in the United States, according to a report by the Center for American Progress. Locally, this was a problem acknowledged, but magnified after Hurricane Katrina.
A popular Mid-City venue and a group of future PR gurus have joined forces to help bring the issue to light.
On April 13, Therapy Wine Lounge will host a fundraiser to help homeless high school students find permanent housing. The event: “Letting go for a Good Cause,” will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Therapy Wine Lounge, 3001 Tulane Ave. Proceeds will benefit local high schools that have seen a dramatic increase in students who “sleep in shelters, or with friends and/or relatives temporarily.”
Admission is $20 and tickets can be purchased at the door. Highlights of the evening will include local music and cuisine, along with complimentary massages provided by Blue Cliff College.
bad credit rv loans alberta “The event is to promote stress relief and through that, you are helping another individual. Our goal is to raise awareness of the seriousness of this issue.” says Xavier University student Amber McGowan.
The concept began as a project for McGowan and a group of public relations students at Xavier.
“The assignment was to produce a campaign that has a cause or meaning behind it,” she told The Louisiana Weekly.
While visiting an area high school, the group discovered that over 80 members of the student body were homeless. “We knew at that moment; this is our cause.” McGowan said. “I was so touched; I went to Wal-Mart and bought as much as I could.”
“We looked for potential clients that would allow us to work with them and develop this meaningful campaign,” she added. “We came across Therapy Wine Lounge as a suggestion from someone on our team. From there, we met Ernest Harris and he agreed to work with us; allowing us to become his PR team.”
It was just the type of cause Harris was looking to partake in.
“I’m passionate about being more than just a business owner who takes from the community,” Harris says. “As a native of New Orleans, I want to give back. We all know there are numerous problems that plague our city and homelessness should not be one of them especially for young people. This event is a step in the right direction to get people talking about and giving to a cause that will change a teen’s life.”
Hopefully, the event will get more members of the community to take notice. Like Harris and the team of XU students, the city of New Orleans realizes the seriousness of the issue.
Stacy Horn Koch, Director of Homeless Policy for the City of New Orleans, says, “While it is unconscionable for anyone in this country to be homeless, it is important that we make youths and families a priority. The City of New Orleans recognizes this and is working diligently to invest in these young people. Last summer, Mayor Landrieu established a Homeless Services Working Group tasked with developing a strategic master plan to prevent, reduce and end homelessness. payday loans carson city In November, that group released a Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in the City of New Orleans. Among its many findings, the report acknowledges that many youth are not just homeless alone, but homeless with their families. We are working with the public school systems to develop proactive intervention programs to prevent vulnerable children from becoming homeless youth. We are also developing diversion programs for youth that have recently become homeless or those at imminent risk who are living in temporary housing situations. Homelessness is a systemic problem that requires direct attention, and here in New Orleans we are working at it every day.”
Like Koch, Amber McGowan sees no greater priority than that of young people in the city.
“It is time for us all to take responsibility to give to those who need it most, our youth, “she says.
For more information on “Letting Go for a Good Cause,” contact Amber McGowan at (504) 957-7006, or Julianne Brown at (504) 723-5724
This article was originally published in the April 9, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper
