Kean University’s fraternities and sororities purchased 40 cots for the winter shelter program coordinated by the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless. The program, Operation Warm Heart (OWH), provides emergency shelter to the homeless from December 1 through March 31.
Emergency shelter wasn’t available on Christmas Day 2002 to Beverly Hennick, a homeless woman who died in Elizabeth from exposure. The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless responded immediately to the growing need to shelter the homeless during the coldest months of the year. Working together with more than 20 churches in Elizabeth, they established OWH.
Now in its 8th season, OWH receives no government or corporate funding, and relies solely on the charity of churches and private individuals. This year, Kean University’s Greek Senate purchased 40 cots for Operation Warm Heart. The Greek Senate is a consortium of 32 fraternities and sororities that has been donating time and money to a variety of worthy causes for the past 15 years.
Peter Jacob, a Kean University graduate and Coordinator of Operation Warm Heart at the Coalition, reached out to the university’s Greek Senate for their help to purchase the cots for OWH. Alex Louis, Assistant Director of Kean’s Center for Leadership and Service and overseer of the Greek Senate. felt that helping the Elizabeth-based program was definitely worthwhile. He got the executive board of the Greek Senate involved.
Janelle Payne, a senior from South Brunswick and Vice-President in Charge of Multicultural Affairs and Community Service, spoke of the student response. “We are always looking for ways to pay back the community. Every year we collect and donate money to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, we do a Breast Cancer Walk to raise money for breast cancer research, and we have a holiday party for the children at the Somerset Hills School and Residential Treatment Center. This was a new challenge and for a worthy cause even closer to home. We took a portion of the dues each fraternity and sorority pays to the Senate and bought 40 cots for Operation Warm Heart. Being involved with programs like this adds so much to our experience at Kean.”
Nicole Monast, a junior from Rhode Island and President of the Senate, agreed. “Many people have a negative stereotype of college students and particularly fraternity and sorority members, and we would like those people to know that our members are committed to service and to doing whatever we can to help those in need. It is deeply rewarding for me and for all my friends in the Senate to be involved in these activities.”
Linda Flores-Tober, director of the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, described OWH. “At 6 o’clock the homeless (we average around 20 people per day) meet at the Coalition on Division St. and are taken by van to one of the churches in the program. They receive dinner prepared by the church members and spend the night at the church. In the morning, the van picks them up, and they are brought back to the Coalition where they receive case management support. The new cots so generously donated by the Greek Senate will make a great difference in the comfort of our homeless clients. We are truly grateful to these young people and to Kean University.”
Kean University Greek Senate presents the cots for OWH