Week promotoes poverty awareness

from The Crimson White Online

UA programs support week with five events
By Meghan Menard

An estimated 100 sleeping bags will surround Denny Chimes from 8:30 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday as people gather for the Grate American Sleep-Out to raise awareness of worldwide homelessness, said Whitney Clearman, coordinator of Hunger and Homelessness Week.

The sleep-out is one of five events that will take place during the annual Hunger and Homelessness Week Monday through Friday, she said.

"I'm hoping students come out and show their support," she said. "The more people we get out, the more awareness we will raise and the more notice the state will take."

A Peace Corps information session, in which returning volunteers will speak of their experiences, will kick off the week Monday at 3 p.m. in 253 B.B. Comer, Clearman said.

Students are invited to participate in a free hunger banquet Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room at the Ferguson Center, she said.

The banquet will demonstrate hunger in the world, so when students enter the room they will draw a card to determine how much food they will receive, she said.

"They will be designated as either high income, middle income or low income," she said.

Symbolic to the world division of hunger, 60 percent of students will have rice, 25 percent will have sandwiches and chips and 15 percent will have a full meal, she said.

Samuel Addy, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research , will speak about the effect of Alabama tax laws on poverty in the state, Clearman said. After the event, students can sign a petition for reforming the tax laws.

Students can volunteer to serve dinner at the Salvation Army Wednesday at 5 p.m., she said. Anyone interested should meet at the Ferguson Center at 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday.

Also a free screening of the film, "Silent Killer", which is about hunger in Africa, will be held in the Ferg Theater Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., she said.

On Thursday the sleep-out will begin at 8:30 p.m. in front of Denny Chimes, Clearman said, and students need to bring sleeping bags and warm clothing but should not bring unnecessary electronic equipment.

She said there will be two speakers at the event, the "Invisible Children" documentary will be shown and acoustic music will be performed.

Clearman said Alabama also has a big poverty problem.

"There are just too many people living in situations that you wouldn't think they'd have to live in since this is the United States," she said.

The week will end with a concert benefit at the Library, located on the Strip, with music performed by Plato Jones and Turning23, she said. Anyone 19 or older can attend for $5, she said, and all proceeds will be donated to after-school programs for lower income elementary schools in Birmingham.

The concert will begin at 10 p.m. with drink specials for 21-year-olds during the benefit, she said.

The Community Service Center, Americans for an Informed Democracy and Apwonjo are sponsoring the week.

Kendall Smith, vice president of the University's chapter for AIF, said this is the first year they have been involved with Hunger and Homelessness week.

"A lot of the things we were interested in were running along the same lines as Hunger and Homelessness Week," she said. "We hope people come out in all events they're interested in and show their support for the different issues."

On Saturday, AIF will host the Young Global Leaders Summit: Ending Poverty after Hunger and Homelessness Week Ends, she said. The event will be held at Alston Hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The summit will include four speakers and two workshops, she said, and interested students should apply at http://www.aidemocracy.org/bama.cfm.

"I think [the summit] is going to be really great for people on campus to see what's going on and for other universities to see that Alabama is involved and is giving things back," Smith said.

Crystal Winton, president of the organization Apwonjo, which is focused on educating the campus on different issues in Africa, said this is the first year the group is participating in the Hunger and Homelessness Week.

Apwonjo, which means "I teach," helps add an international focus to the week, she said. The organization is officially co-sponsoring the screening of the "Silent Killer" film and the Grate American Sleep-Out.

"[I hope] it opens the eyes of the students to the reality of homelessness and hunger in our community," she said.

Matthew Wujtik, a sophomore majoring in economics and bass player in the band Turning23, said the band is always happy to be involved with charity work.

"We realize this is a global issue and it's not just affecting people in Africa," he said. "It's also affecting us here. Hopefully us getting together will raise awareness in the greater community area."

Lauren Bass, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she is most looking forward to the concert and bringing awareness to the hunger and homelessness issues.

"Students aren't aware and it's not because we don't want to do something, it's just that a lot of times we don't know what to do," she said.