The Unbreakable Leo

Growing up in Middle America wasn't nearly as boring as many of my friends in California think. Although it wasn't nearly as glamorous as living in Los Angeles, we found many ways to keep active while remembering those in need through constant interactions. I remember participating in community service activities at church as my planted the seed of communal responsibility in the fertile soil of my consciousness at a very young age. Ever since I entered college I've worked to bring about change in the lives of others through any means possible. It can be a struggle and very taxing emotionally to do the right thing sometimes, but in the end the reward outweighs all the time put into it. Often times though picking up the torch to be a "Good Samaritan" can be just as dangerous as it is rewarding, but we owe it to ourselves to give what we can whether it's what little money or time we have. One story in particular from my college days reminds me of just how fragile the lives of human beings are, both those trying to help and those who need it.

Years ago in college I was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (Upsilon Chapter) where I participated in a multitude of community based projects from highway clean-ups to youth mentoring programs. Since those college days have swiftly passed one of the greatest lessons that still resonates with me is a phrase stated as one of the founding purposes of the fraternity which is the "love for all mankind." A certain project in particular stands out in my mind called "Project Homeless Alpha" where members of the fraternity slept and lived on campus for a week to simulate the lives of the homeless population living in our small college town of Lawrence, Kansas. To make things as realistic as possible we only equipped ourselves with our school books and the clothes on our backs. We couldn't eat anything unless someone on campus gave us food and we had nothing to sleep with unless people donated blankets and pillows. Our objective was to raise awareness about homelessness in the city and raise money for the local shelter to continues their much needed operations. To say that it was a very humbling experience does not do this project any justice.

The year prior to my joining the fraternity during one of the first nights of the project, a homeless man wondered on campus to the site where my friends were sleeping under the stars. He crept over to their location ever so slowly in the dead of night and woke everyone up as be began to loudly ramble to himself. As everyone woke from their uneasy slumber in the midst of a chilly night the man removed a gun from his pocket and began pointing it at the five young men who sat motionless on their beds of concrete. As he flashed his weapon mainly for show he gazed deeply into their eyes and began to pour his heart out about the lose of everything from his job, his home, his family and his dignity. He believed he had nothing left to live for and saw no hope in sight. After a few hours of talking he was emotionally spent and flopped on the cold hard concrete exhausted from the defeat that had become his life. Soon he gathered his thoughts and his gun and disappeared back into the night where he emerged from.

Visibly shaken everyone took stock of the recent event but pushed on with the rest of the project despite their fears. At the end of the week when all the money had been collected and given to the shelter their lives went back to normal. Back to the hours of studying in their warm dorm rooms and partaking in generous portions of food in the cafeteria. Although this story is one of fear and frustrations, there is something to be said about those that need hope when all else fails. My friends chose to take the road less traveled to help others in need. They didn't just visit the shelter that housed these people once a year or hold a one-time rally on campus where other students could bring their homemade signs, but rather they lived the life of those they wanted to help.

In the end they were able to go back to living their lives of college student "luxury," but a connection with the homeless population was made on a much deeper level. This is what giving back should be about instead of participating out of guilt or obligation to satisfy some kind of service requirement. It's easy to often forget about those people we all want to help, but we should strive to plant the seeds of volunteerism, action and the idea of giving back in the consciousness of the youth because one day they might be doing something to help us. Giving back should be something we all do on a regular basis instead of waiting for some event once a year to make ourselves feel better. While you are reading this in a nice warm room others are still living on the streets because they are homeless everyday, not just on the days people come to help. I challenge everyone to go out and make a difference at your community center, a youth group or even a senior home. Sometimes doing the right thing can be dangerous or exhausting, but the rewards that come from it are things that will shape you for a lifetime.