Greetings, PSVP Partners & Friends, This morning, as on all cold winter dawns, I turned our car on 10 minutes prior to departure. Cranked up the temperature, activated the heated seats, and poured myself a hot cup of coffee for our daily commute to the city. Cassondra and I both shivered from the cold during the 30 second walk from our front door to the parking lot of the condominium complex where we live. To be sure, single digit temperatures typically don’t make for an enjoyable start to any day, but the warmth of our homes, vehicles, and places of work make the short periods of time exposed to the elements much more bearable. During the drive from Moon Township, our conversation turned to the homeless vigil we attended last night with fellow members of PSVP. On the longest night of the year, the sharp winds cut though us like a knife as Dr. Jim Withers, Operation Safety Net founder, read the names of the ten homeless individuals who passed away in 2008. We both found the experience to be thought-provoking and humbling. We were saddened by the plight of the homeless community but also found ourselves inspired by the efforts of organizations like Operation Safety Net and the Homeless Children’s Education Fund headed by Dr. Joseph Lagana, the group’s founder.This is a very real problem our society faces each and every day. I truly believe that with organizations such as PSVP continuing to collaborate with the OSNs and HCEFs of our community, we can discover and implement innovative solutions when taking on this crisis. As we neared our destination this morning we realized that many people living on the streets would like nothing more than to have experienced with us our brief time “out in the cold”. They would have thought nothing of the 40 minutes spent under the bridge last night. Neither of us could begin to fathom spending night after night exposed to such harsh conditions. As Dr. Withers spoke of those who passed away this year, at least one died of overexposure. Can you imagine? I know this was a sobering thought that went though the minds and entered the conversations of many of us in attendance last night. I know for Cassondra and I it truly made us appreciate all the blessing we have. I think this event will become an annual one for our family. Best regards, Dan Koett
PSVP Partner, Co-Chair of Education Committee
