Midnight Run Report from Rye Students

Rye Middle School teacher Craig Dreves told MyRye.com about a student "Midnight Run" to help the homeless. MyRye.com salutes the efforts of these students.

Student Brianne Adler filed the following report.

We did our first Midnight Run in June last school year with the help and support of Mr. Dreves, some of our other teachers, our parents, Mr. DiDonato of J&R Tour Buses, and the community. We had no idea what to expect—but it ended up being extremely touching and then we wanted to do it again. We scheduled our second Midnight Run in December and were set to go in late January (the 28th). It was extremely challenging getting the money necessary for this run because winter clothing tends to be more expensive than spring clothing—and we also brought a lot more warm foods (soup, coffee). So, us thirteen girls set a goal of what we needed to raise to make the run successful. We shoveled driveways & sidewalks, cleared snow off of car windows, had numerous bake sales at sporting events, and received some clothing and money donations from some very generous people in the community. When we finally reached our goal we were all relieved and hyped for the run.

In NYC, we expected to see less people due to the terrible weather, but ended up seeing over 150 homeless men and women. They weren’t crazy, mean, or unusual, they were normal people with a very unfortunate lifestyle. The homeless men and women were extremely gracious for everything they got (pants, coats, hats, toiletries, blankets, etc). Some people were just down on their luck and explained their stories—every person had a story, good and bad. Most of our group was cold, but nothing could compare to living outdoors in NYC’s freezing weather every night. Our biggest stop was in Penn Station. As we walk through the almost emptied train station at 2:00 am, we began to see more and more people. Over 50 people just sleeping on the floors. At that point, as a group, I think that we realized how important this organization & our job is, and how small things like giving a homeless man a shirt he is confident in can make a huge difference.

In such an affluent community like Rye, it’s such an unique experience to see our connection to people that appear to be nothing like us. It has made us, as friends and as people, appreciate all that we have and show compassion for those who don’t. We plan on doing about two Midnight Run’s a year until we graduate.

Girls Who Participated:
1. Brianne Adler
2. Caley Carlisle
3. Carlee Moses
4. Courtney Colwell
5. Kate Whiston
6. Gabrielle Amaturo
7. Nora Friedmann
8. Charlotte Kirby
9. Melissa Lugones
10. Jacquie Kinghan
11. Stephanie Mullane
12. Lucia Villani
13. Marissa Licursi