By Felicity Bosk
This past Saturday and Sunday, community members came together as they do every year to raise money for homeless shelters in Douglas County. They raised over $3000, enough to give each $652.59 toward their homeless services.
A group of volunteers sat at the stop lights to collect donations from drivers
Tom Womdolkowski has been coordinating the event for the past nine years. “There used to be a ciropractor where the taning salon is now. The guy there was Mr. Lang. He did a sleep out and made pretty good money. After 25 years he said he wouldn’t go it anymore. I called him up to see if I could help but he didn’t want someone to help he wanted someone to do it. A reporter called me on Christmas 10 years ago, asking if I was the guy who was going to take it over. I wasn’t sure at that point, but I’m a religious man and God spoke to me, so I told the reporter “yeah!” I just thought it was a good event that needed to continue.”
A Night Without a Home is every October at the corner of Belknap st. and Tower ave. It had been in November, when National Homeless Youth Awareness Month and National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week are, but those who work on the event said it was just too cold to do then.
The group stayed outside for 24 hours, noon to noon, on Oct. 17-18. There was a kickoff celebration, a talent show in the afternoon, and live music at 2 a.m. once all the bars had closed.
“We do this event for two main reasons: to collect food, money and clothing, and to expose the community to homelessness,” said Womdolkowski. “I feel blessed to live in a community that cares so much. I’m not originally from Superior, but this is home.”
