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Teenager sleeps outside to focus attention on homelessness

Dec. 1, 2005

NOTE: Photographs and video are available at www.umc.org.

A UMC.org Feature
By Julie Price*

Bright stars pierce the crisp autumn nights of Minneapolis - great
sleeping weather for most residents of this northern city. Casey
Robbins, 16, a member of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
downtown, is learning firsthand that the cold nights are not so pleasant
for the city's homeless.

And she wants others to care as much as she does.

>From Sept. 15 to Christmas Eve, Casey will spend "100 Nights Outside" to
raise funds for the church's Dignity Center, which provides assistance
to those needing shelter, transportation, clothing, food and employment.
Pledges have come in various forms, some for a certain amount for each
night she spends outside, including one pledge giving bonuses for nights
dropping below certain temperatures. Several people, including her
church youth group, have accepted her challenge to join her for a night.

Casey's family moved to Minnesota from New York City last year when her
father, the Rev. Bruce Robbins, former top staff executive of the United
Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns,
became Hennepin Avenue's lead pastor. She has always been raised to be
aware of social justice issues, and has participated in many mission
opportunities.

Her current interest in the homeless was inspired by the example of Bob
Fisher of Wayzata, Minn., who spoke at her school last year. Since 1996,
Fisher has spent many cold nights outdoors to raise awareness and money
for the homeless. Casey tested her own endurance by spending three weeks
last winter sleeping in a tent on her roof.

"Now that I think I know what I'm in for-at least I hope I do-I decided
to do it again, and this time to raise awareness and money," Casey said.
"It's cold getting up early, even in September. I get up at 6 a.m. in
order to get ready for school, but that's the time that a lot of people
in shelters have to be up and go outside."

Sometimes the nights are quiet, but other times her sleep is interrupted
by drunken songsters, traffic and storms. One particularly windy storm
picked up the wooden platform on which her tent is pitched and carried
it several yards across the roof. Now several sandbags keep her platform
weighted down.

Casey is documenting her experiences in a blog at
www.haumc.org/2005-CampCasey2.asp, which also includes information on
how to contribute to her effort.

Sleeping outdoors has increased her compassion for those who have no
bed. In turn, she's grown more grateful for simple blessings. "I knew I
would miss my bed, so I tried to appreciate it as much as I could before
I started sleeping outside," she said. "But I could never appreciate it
as much as I do now. I get in bed to do my homework in the afternoon."

Kristen Twitchell, youth director at Hennepin Avenue, said she has been
impressed by Casey's courage and adaptability.

"She's a youth who's not confined to what it means to be an average
teenager," Twitchell said. "She's better traveled than most adults I
know, and she's not afraid to get out there and live life. She has a
huge heart for social justice, to initiate something like this of her
own accord."

"Casey clearly sees the outreach of the church as an important and vital
part of its ministry and is very intentional about her participation in
it," said the Rev. Robbins. "People have been quite captivated by the
idea and the fact that she's actually doing it. Some people are very
emotional and overwhelmed about it. It always floors Casey when they
remark on her courage. For her, it's a matter-of-fact adventure for a
good cause. And the Dignity Center recipients are fascinated, and very
grateful for her contributions to their resources."

An accomplished young woman with a wide variety of interests and skills,
including fencing, violin, and classical Greek and Latin, Casey is also
accustomed to helping those in need. In addition to volunteering at the
Dignity Center, the summer of 2005 found her in Africa with her family,
while her father attended a World Council of Churches conference in
Egypt. After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with him, Casey spent two weeks
alone in Nairobi, Kenya, volunteering at the pharmacy of a Coptic
(Egyptian Orthodox) AIDS hospital.

She also participated in a medical campaign in rural Kenya helping to
administer AIDS and malaria tests to people who had no other way to
receive medical attention. This experience showed her that "raising
awareness is not enough. Money is required too. I had to see it to know
it. It's nice to help people in Africa, but there are problems right
here in Minnesota. We need to do what we can where we are."

This young, middle-class American teen has observed more suffering
around the world than most of her peers. Why has homelessness attracted
her energy? For her, the answer is simple.

"I saw it as something that I could do something about."

*Price is the editorial assistant for the Minnesota Annual Conference
Office of Communications.

News media contact: Cindy Caldwell, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5132 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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