On November 18th, students Maya Reazin and Cheyli Perez took part in the One Night Without A Home homelessness program alongside teacher, Julie Westerman. The annual program is sponsored by The Salvation Army of Tyler, the City of Tyler, and the East Texas Human Needs Network. The attendees were only allowed to bring comfortable clothes and a sleeping bag.

Participants registered upon their arrival on Friday and had dinner at Salvation Army. They continued with the Homelessness March from Salvation Army to Fun Forest Park, 1.4 miles away. The night ended with a candlelight vigil.

“It was a fun but crazy night. I learned a bunch about homelessness that I didn’t know, and how hard it was to get out that.” said Perez. “I got to experience how hard it is to get a good night sleep out there. Having to be scared someone might hurt me while I’m sleeping as well as having the harsh weather.”

Saturday began with a reflective discussion at 5am and breakfast before a march back to the Salvation Army around 7 am which concluded the events.