Challenge asks locals to spend night outdoors
BY CHANEL DAVIS
THE CHRONICLE
Residents are being urged to ditch the comforts of their warm beds and sleep in the harsh
elements for a night as part of a Bethesda Center for the Homeless campaign.
Bethesda Center Executive Director Derwin Montgomery was joined by Mayor Allen
Joines when he issued the challenge on Friday, Nov. 7 in Corpening Plaza.
"People think they know what homelessness looks like," said Montgomery, who also
represents the East Ward on the City Council. "Often times the face
of homelessness are individuals that you see and work with every
day or that you may see walking down the street and look just like
you."
The Twitter-ready campaign is called #BCHSleepOutChallenge.
Those who accept the challenge are being asked to spend the night
in Corpening Plaza on Friday, Nov. 21. Donations of non-perishable
items will be accepted during the event. The challenge asks those
who want to help but do not want to sleep outside to donate $100 to
Bethesda, the city's largest provider of services for the homeless.
Organizers say the challenge is based on the ALS Ice Bucket
Challenge, which took social media by storm in the fall and raised
tens of millions of dollars for Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Joines has accepted the cash challenge because he will be unable
Montgomery
to participate in next week's sleep-out.
"I'm challenging all of our citizens to join me in either being here on Nov. 21 or donat
ing $100 to the Bethesda Center," he said.
Fighting homelessness is an ongoing priority for the city, which has won praise for the
success of its 10-year plan to reduce chronic homelessness. Montgomery said the city still
has some ways to go before the problem is truly eradicated. The chronic homeless is a term
used to describe those who have been without homes for some time. But losing a job or an
economic emergency can make someone homeless at anytime.
"As the number of chronically homeless decreases, there still remains a great need for
services for the homeless in our community," Montgomery said. "Every day we serve hun
dreds of individuals in our day shelter as well as our night shelter."
A video Montgomery recorded about the challenge has been posted to Bethesda's web
site, www.bethesdacenter.org, and its social media sites on Twitter and Facebook.
Photo by Chanel Davis
A blanket and boxes are used to set the stage for the challenge.
i ?
Don't wait
to get relief from
joint pain.
NOW OFFERING PRIORITY ACCESS FOR ORTHOPAEDICS. Don't let joint or bone pain
keep you from doing the things you love. With a complete range of orthopaedic options,
including minimally invasive procedures. Wake Forest Baptist Health offers advanced care
that can restore function, reduce pain and shorten recovery time. What's more, with Priority
Access, you can see an orthopaedic physician within 24 hours ? often the same day or the
next business day And we have ten locations to serve you, including Advance, Bermuda
Run, Clemmons, Greensboro, Lexington, Randleman, Salisbury and Winston-Salem. Don't
miss another minute of your life. Make an appointment with an orthopaedic physician
close to home. Call 336-716-WAKE (9253) or visitWakeHealth.edu/Orthopaedic-Services.
ORTHOPAEDICS I Call 888-716-WAKE for an appointment.
AQ(\ Wake Forest*
Baptist Health
A Mission to Care. A Mission to Cure.
best!
nimuP
? PBMMTfKOUC pi
2014-15 M