Published: April 19, 2008 01:13 am      

Teens learn what it's like to be homeless for one night

At least two participants in the annual Shanty Town event weren’t worried about staying dry on a rainy Friday night.

Effingham High School junior Ashley Kersey said her “shanty” is built to handle the rain scheduled for Friday evening.

“Our box can keep us dry,” Kersey said.

Fellow EHS junior Chloe Passalacqua, who planned to stay with Kersey Friday night, said their shanty is built for foul weather.

“It’s pretty much just a square, but we have plastic bags all over and it doesn’t have any gaps at all,” Passalacqua said.

Kersey said constructing the box took much longer than she anticipated.

“It’s definitely more than what we thought it was,” she said.

About 20 groups of three to six teens were scheduled to spend the night in homemade shanties on the north lawn of First Christian Church in Effingham as a fund-raising event for Effingham County Habitat for Humanity. The church was available for bad weather, and co-organizer Julie Pruemer said the group might take advantage of it.

“This is a little much,” Pruemer said, as rain fell with increasing force all around her. “We’ll know by morning if they make it.”

Pruemer, who organized Shanty Town with Kevin Gouchenouer, said the event is designed to raise awareness of homelessness.

“We want the kids to simulate what it is like to be homeless,” she said.

Students from Effingham, St. Anthony, Teutopolis and Altamont were on hand for the event, along with several Habitat board members.

“We want them to see what it is like to be a homeless person,” said board member Loren Witter.

“Picture every day of the year having to look for a warm, dry place to sleep,” added board member Jim Anderson.

Aspen Krietemeyer, a seventh-grader at Effingham Junior High School, said she wasn’t worried about the rain.

“We have plastic, cardboard and each other,” Krietemeyer said, referring to others in her group.

Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.