Dozens of students from Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge will be spending the night tonight in the great outdoors, sheltered only by cardboard boxes. One of the college’s teachers, Bonita Harold, is organizing the second annual event called, “Think Inside the Box.”
“Last year, we had it with 80 students and I think 40 made it through the night,” Harold says. “This year, it’s really gotten very big. I’m having all five of my classes involved in it and there’ll be probably a little under 200 of my students involved in it.”
Harold said the event will feature a host of activities which will be open to the public. “We’ve got lots of prizes and we’ll have live music from about 4 in the afternoon until 11 at night,” Harold says. “Out of five classes, one of my classes already has raised about $2,000.” She explains how the money raised through the event will be used.
“This goes to the Beacon of Hope, located in Fort Dodge, but it supports all areas of Iowa,” she says. “I’ve seen them go to Des Moines to pick up someone that’s camping along the river and bring them here so they’re not in the cold any longer.”
The event runs from 3 P.M. today through 5:30 A.M. on Saturday. A church service is planned for 7 P.M., during which the director of the Beacon of Hope will speak about the organization and his 15 years of living on the streets.
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City