College students to spend First Friday night on courthouse lawn to raise money for Habitat for Humanity and awareness about local homeless

GOSHEN, Ind. – A group of Goshen College students will spend the night of Friday, April 4 in cardboard boxes on the Goshen Courthouse lawn to increase awareness about the realities of homelessness and the need for more affordable housing, and to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County, during the fourth annual Shack City project sponsored by the college’s Campus Ministries.

“We hope to raise our own levels of awareness and also raise awareness in the Goshen community,” said student organizer Phil Schmidt, a senior Bible and religion major from Berne, Ind. Each student is working to raise $25 to go towards Habitat for Humanity of Elkhart County.

Participants will be encouraged to fast for the evening meal. At 6 p.m., students will take a walking tour of downtown Goshen and surrounding areas in order to open their eyes to the realities of homelessness in the Goshen community. After the walking tour, the participants will camp out at the Goshen courthouse during the downtown’s First Friday events in order to hear from representatives from Habitat for Humanity, Interfaith Hospitality Network, The Window and La Casa.

“This will be a time of hearing from these service organizations and also engaging them in dialogue,” said Schmidt. “All community members are welcome to come listen and join the conversation at the courthouse lawn around 8 p.m.” This will be followed by a time of worship and singing. And then on Saturday, April 5, the students will pack up the boxes and head back to campus around 8 a.m.

Reporters and photographers are welcome, either to join the students downtown on their tour and search for food, or as they settle in to sleep in their boxes at night.

Editors: For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.