12/09/2015
Thanks for the shoutout Lazarus House!
Tau Kappa Epsilon, a civic minded fraternity at Merrimack College, sets up a sample homeless shelter outside of the student center every year with the intention of raising awareness. Thomas Drover, secretary for Tau Kappa Epsilon, explains, “As a fraternity we have a philanthropy that drives and motivates us. On a national level our charity is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, however, our local focus here in the Sigma Kappa chapter is homeless awareness. For one school week we had our shelter on display. The shelter contained the bare minimum comforts in an effort to make it as real as possible. It consisted of wooden pallets as an outer structure, some cardboard as insulation, a few blankets on the inside and finally a tarp draped over the top for weather protection. At all times there would be at least 2 brothers occupying the shelter and 3 would sleep in it every night. We raised about $1,300 in only 5 days. More important than the money, however, was people’s interest in our cause. We were able to raise awareness in the Merrimack College community with students, staff, faculty, or even someone simply taking a stroll through our campus. It was both tough and humbling to spend one night out there. This event, along with a blossoming relationship with Lazarus House, is part of a greater effort put on by the Sigma Kappa chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon to raise awareness for the homeless and help combat it.”
