THANK YOU, CAITLIN. FOR 18 YEARS, THE LOCAL CHAPTERS OF PHI BETA SIGMA FRATERNITY INCORPORATED HAVE BEEN HELPING COMBAT HOMELESSNESS IN THE OMAHA COMMUNITY. THE ANNUAL SLEEP OUT FOR THE HOMELESS RAISES AWARENESS WHILE PROVIDING ESSENTIALS FOR PEOPLE IN NEED. THIS MORNING, WE’RE JOINED BY DR. ALVIN SAMUELS, PRESIDENT OF
THE ALPHA PI SIGMA CHAPTER, PHI BETA SIGMA. DR. SAMUELS, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US THIS MORNING, BROTHER GILMORE THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. AND SLEEP OUT FOR THE HOMELESS. START BY TELLING US EXACTLY WHAT IS THAT SLEEP OUT FOR THE HOMELESS. SO IN PHI BETA SIGMA, WE HAVE VARIOUS PRINCIPLES.
AND ONE OF OUR PRINCIPLES IS SCHOLARSHIP SERVICE. AND WE HAVE BROTHERHOOD AND SERVICE. WE TALK ABOUT DOING THINGS FOR OUR COMMUNITY, FOR SLEEP, FOR THE HOMELESS. WE GET DONATIONS, NONPERISHABLE FOODS, MONETARY DONATIONS AND ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITY TO COMBAT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY THE HOMELESS.
NOW YOU THINK ABOUT SLEEP OUT FOR THE HOMELESS THAT THAT THAT PHRASE THERE. DO PEOPLE ACTUALLY SLEEP OUT? WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SO IN MANY YEARS PAST, WE WOULD SLEEP OUT OVERNIGHT AT 5 A.M., 6 A.M., 7 A.M. AND SOME OF US HAVE MATURED. AND NOW THAT WE HAVE WORK ON
FRIDAY, WE WILL STAY OUT VERY LATE. BUT THIS YEAR, INDIVIDUALS WILL PROBABLY BE OUT TO 2 A.M., 3 A.M. AND YOU’LL BE COLLECTING THINGS LIKE WINTER CLOTHES, ESSENTIAL ITEMS. TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE COLLECTING. SO SPECIFICALLY WINTER CLOTHING. THAT’S THE GREATEST NEED THIS YEAR. WE’RE ACTUALLY PARTNERING WITH AN ORGANIZATION THAT
SPECIFICALLY DID ASK FOR DIAPERS THIS YEAR, ESSENTIAL GOODS SUCH AS DEODORANT. I’D BE REMISS IF I DIDN’T SAY TOOTHPASTE, TOOTHBRUSH AND FLOSS AND A LOT OF THE THINGS INDIVIDUALS WOULD NEED ON A DAILY BASIS. WE’RE REALLY LOOKING FOR NOW WE DO HAVE SOME VIDEO FROM LAST YEAR.
WE’RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO FROM LAST YEAR WHERE YOU GUYS WERE DOING THIS. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU IN A FRATERNITY TO HAVE THIS IMPACT ON THE OMAHA COMMUNITY? FOR ME, IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS IMPACT ON THE OMAHA COMMUNITY, BECAUSE NOW THAT
WE’VE DONE IT FOR 18 YEARS, INDIVIDUALS LOOK FORWARD TO IT. INDIVIDUALS EXPECT IT. COMMUNITY PARTNERS RELY ON US TO DO IT. AND IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN BECAUSE WE SEE A NEED AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE NEED. AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE ABOUT IN
THE FRATERNITY BEEN DOING THIS FOR 18 YEARS. HOW HAVE IT GROWN OVER TIME? WE NEED BIGGER TRUCKS EVERY YEAR. BIGGER TRUCKS SPREADING THE AWARENESS AND JUST TRYING TO IMPROVE UPON PREVIOUS YEARS. NUMBERS NICE. AND I KNOW IN THE PAST YOU’VE DONE SOME WORK WITH THE SIENNA FRANCIS HOUSE, ALSO THE OPEN DOOR MISSION.
YES, CORRECT. SO IN THE PAST WE’VE DONE SIENNA FRANCIS HOUSE. WE’VE DONE OPEN DOOR MISSION. THIS YEAR WE’RE WORKING WITH NORTH OMAHA COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP THROUGH NETWORKING AND VARIOUS CONNECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, WE WE HEARD ABOUT SOME OF THE GREAT WORK THEY’RE DOING. THEY’RE A LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION FOUNDED IN 2020.
THEY’RE BIG ON REBUILDING THE COMMUNITY, EMPOWERING THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN IT AND UPLIFTING IN INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ORGANIZATION. NOW, I HAVE TO ASK YOU, BECAUSE IT’S COOL RIGHT NOW, ARE YOU PREPARED TO BE OUT THERE ALL NIGHT WITH THIS WEATHER? ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. ALL RIGHTY.
THANK YOU, DR. SAMUELS, FOR BEING HERE WITH US THIS MORNING. AND ASLEEP WILL BE TAKING PLACE THURSDAY, STARTING AT 7 P.M. YOU CAN DROP OFF DONATIONS TO THEM
source
