Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Students help needy through Labre Project
By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer
Published on Thursday, Nov 26, 2009
Laura ended up living in Akron's Grace Park after she lost her job and started drinking.
''Sometimes I would be so drunk and didn't know what I was doing. I stayed with my mother for a while, but I was really acting out bad and finally, she put me out,'' said Laura, 43. ''One day this van pulled up at the park and the people I was with said, 'Here comes some food,' and I said, 'Good, I get to eat.' I had no idea that the people getting out of the van were going to become such good friends.''
The people inside the maroon van — Walsh Jesuit High School students who are part of the Labre Project — check the streets of Akron every Monday night (including holidays and during the summer) for people living there. When they find them, they share food, friendship and faith to give them strength to make it through another day.
The students have learned a powerful lesson: The homeless have names, personalities, faith and a need to build relationships with others.
''It's amazing how much they have taught me about hope. No matter what their circumstances are, they are always hopeful,'' said Marco Caponi, 17, of Cuyahoga Falls. ''If people with so little can be hopeful, why should we be discour
aged? It makes you take a long, hard look at yourself and how you're living your life.''
Marco is among hundreds of Walsh students who have participated in the Labre Project at the Cuyahoga Falls high school. The homeless ministry began three years ago, after Jodie Bowers arrived at Walsh to serve as campus minister and was given the task of motivating the students to work with Akron's most needy.
Bowers, who also teaches theology, immediately thought of the Labre Project, a program that seeks to humanize the homeless. Bowers was introduced to the project in 2003 as an alumni volunteer at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. While working to complete his graduate degree, he was among a group of Ignatius alumni that implemented the program in 2004 at John Carroll University in University Heights.
The project is named for St. Benedict Joseph Labre, the patron saint of homeless people. Labre was born in 1748 into a middle-class family in France. Motivated by his belief that God was calling him to a life of devotion, he set forth on a pilgrimage in an old coat with a rosary around his neck and a rosary in his hands. He lived a life of poverty on the charity of others, and shared his food with the poor.
Labre traveled to shrines throughout Europe, spending hours in prayer. Because of his special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, he became known as ''the poor man of the Forty Hours Devotion'' at the Colosseum in Rome, where he lived for a while. He collapsed on the steps of a church in Rome on April 16, 1783, and died later that day in a nearby home. He was 35. More than 136 miracles have been attributed to his intercession. His feast day is April 16.
Fellowship, friendship
''The food is the hook, but Labre is more about the fellowship and the friendship. We are there to affirm them, but the mystery is they end up affirming us,'' Bowers said. ''One of the big differences between the traditional soup kitchen and this ministry is that we go to the 'homes' of the people we are ministering to.
''The students get a chance to see where these children of God live. They get to know their struggles. They get to share in their pain and their joy. And they are transformed because they see that any one of these people may indeed be Christ.''
Each mission to the streets begins with a group of students arriving at the school to prepare food (sandwiches, hot soup and hot chocolate) and organize donated clothing. About 45 minutes later, they gather in the chapel for prayer and reflection.
By 6:15 p.m., they have the van loaded and head for downtown Akron. The students keep their eyes peeled for people on the streets or in alleys, as Bowers drives to the regular stops along Main Street, St. Bernard Church, the former Amtrak station, a camp near St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and Grace Park. The displaced make their homes in a variety of places, including doorways, steps, alleys and park benches.
Eric Illig went out with the group for the first time three years ago with his older brother. His instructions were: Offer a handshake. Tell the person your name. They will tell you their name and the conversation will go from there. ''It all starts with that introduction and before you know it, you're really getting to know new people and they're getting to know you,'' said Eric, 17. ''What I've discovered is that while I'm trying to inspire them, they end up inspiring me. They always have a word of encouragement for us and they look forward to seeing us every week.''
Anniversary celebration
During a recent celebration of Labre's third anniversary at Walsh, about 20 people were bused to the school from downtown Akron to participate in a special Mass and to share food during a reception after the service. A photograph of one of the first people served by the Labre ministry — Ronald L. Pierson — was placed at the front of the sanctuary during the Mass.
Pierson, 47, died two years ago after falling from a brick wall at Cascade Plaza on South Main Street in downtown Akron. Bowers and the students involved in Labre organized a funeral for Pierson in the chapel at the high school. Pierson is still memorialized by some of the people who lived with him on the streets of Akron.
The Mass also included reflections from two of the regulars on the Labre route, Junior and Jeanna. The two, in their 40s, thanked the students for caring about the less fortunate.
''You young people have different things you could be doing with your time but you choose to come and spend it with us, and we appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts,'' Junior said. ''We look forward to seeing you every Monday. We want y'all to know that we love you. We hold y'all in our hearts.''
Jeanna echoed Junior's sentiments. She said that she and the others are thankful for all of the people they have met over the years through Labre.
''I remember the first Monday they showed up out of nowhere. I was hungry. They showed up with food,'' Jeanna said. ''Before they left, they said they would be back the next week. I didn't really believe them. But they did and they've been showing up every week, bringing food and spending time with us.''
Building relationships
Gabrielle Belli, 17, of Kent, said she is as thankful to people like Jeanna and Junior as they are to the students. She said the relationships she has built will always be a part of her life.
''This isn't just about feeding people. It's about building relationships and following in Jesus' footsteps by being there for people in need,'' Gabrielle said. ''I didn't really know what I was getting into. I was just obeying the hype — people kept telling me how wonderful the program was and how much fun I would have.
''I'm really glad I listened, because Labre has changed my life. I wasn't really that outgoing, but that's changed,'' Gabrielle said. ''I've learned that less is more, because I didn't know you could still be happy and have your faith with almost nothing. Now, I'm one of the people who are hyping it up!''
Gabrielle, the other Labre students and Bowers said one of the most rewarding things is seeing people get back on their feet, as Laura has.
''When I look back, I think it must have been God who put me in that park where Jodie and his crew showed up. They gave me enough hope to pull myself up,'' Laura said. ''I was able to go stay with a friend and one of her neighbors upstairs had a phone. My mother called and left a message around the holidays.
''She said the only thing she wanted for Christmas was to see her baby daughter and know that she was all right,'' said Laura, fighting back tears. ''I went to see my mother and I was able to get an apartment through AMHA.''
Today, a year later, Laura lives in a house in Akron with her fiance and his two daughters, who are 8 and 9 years old. Bowers and the Labre volunteers still stop to see her every Monday night.
''They are awesome. They bring us milk and other groceries every Monday,'' Laura said. ''I can't tell you what it has meant to me to have such good friends who really care about me.''
The Labre project at Walsh has inspired other local ministries to provide outreach to the homeless in Akron. Those groups (from New Exodus Christian Fellowship in Akron; Archbishop Hoban High School; Queen of Heaven Parish in Green and Springtime of Hope, a local nonprofit organization that serves the poor) along with the students from Walsh, serve the homeless in downtown Akron five days a week.
In addition to food, the Labre ministry provides personal hygiene products, socks, mittens and warm blankets to the homeless. Donations are accepted year-round and can be sent to Bowers' attention at Walsh Jesuit High School, 4550 Wyoga Lake Road, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44224.
On Friday, the Strange Familiar will perform at 8 p.m. at The Tangier and donate money from a raffle and a portion of its merchandise sales to the Walsh Labre Project. Two members of the band, Kira Leyden and Jeff Andrea, are Walsh alumni. Tickets are $10 presale and $15 at the door. For information, call 330-376-7171 or see Malcolm Abram's column in today's Enjoy section.
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.
Laura ended up living in Akron's Grace Park after she lost her job and started drinking.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Posted 07:40 AM, 11/26/2009
A wonderful story.. but there are still some of us.. the working poor, who really have no where to turn.. I am working today, thanksgiving day so I can pay bills, and it hurts to know that my son, age 16 and my 7 month pregnant wife will have no traditional thanksgiving dinner today. When I get home, we will have sailsbury steak and gravy, and mashed potato's. Sometimes you must give thanks for what you have, even if it is nothing but each other. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Arizona, AZ
Posted 08:05 AM, 11/26/2009
Its nice to see wonderful acts of Love with warm hearts. We become so special because of our kindness and sharing love with others. Its always good to be of some help to some one in some way to make our heart expand and embrace the whole world, God Bless all.
Posted 08:17 AM, 11/26/2009
Awesome story. So nice to hear of kids trying to make a difference by doing good.
Posted 08:21 AM, 11/26/2009
And to Charles, hang in there. You have a job, a wife, a son, and a child on the way. Sounds like blessings to me. I am working today as well, although it is volunteer work. If I knew how I could get a hold of you, I would bring some turkey and pie over to you this weekend.
Enjoy your dinner with our wife and kids tonight. I am sure they are thankful they have a father/husband who is willing to work so they can have food.
Posted 11:13 AM, 11/26/2009
God has sent the Labre project to these students, and the students are following the teaching.
Bless them today, as well as those they serve.
charles, my blessings to you as you work today to have that salisbury steak, remember, turkey was a wild dinner bagged by the pilgrims, and that's how it became a tradition. Who knows? Salisbury steak may be your blessing today.
You are loved charles.
Posted 11:22 AM, 11/26/2009
One more thing:
Then Jesus said to his host, 'When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors…But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'" Luke 14:12-14 (NIV)
ProChoice, OH
Posted 11:50 AM, 11/26/2009
I don't get religious groups. Just feed the homeless & help them when needed but leave the religious stuff out of it. If you're hungry the last thing you need is some preachy type saying we'll feed you but you then have to be ''saved.''
Posted 11:57 AM, 11/26/2009
Gosh what a heart warming story. Thanks Emily and Kennedy and everyone Walsh.
You have more than you know Charles. Maybe we all do..I hope so.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone !
Posted 01:36 PM, 11/26/2009
Way to go Father King.
prochoice liberal, you are too used to being on the receiving end rather than the giving one. Give up your bitterness for the holiday.
WJHS 73'
WADSWORTH, OH
Posted 02:29 PM, 11/26/2009
Charles-many a true people would have helped you out if there was a place that people in your situation could 'ask for' and feel comfortable and not humiliated.
BEEN THERE.
Please check all the area food banks and organizations that have been in the ABJ as of late,or call the salvation Army.
"hoping your Christmas dinner will be better'...friend.
Orrville, Oh
Posted 03:45 PM, 11/26/2009
Representatives of this Representative Republic denying Human Beings opportunity to produce amount they use for life for wages or independent business profit enabling them to pay for that amount with money derived from wages or independent business profit; demands Human Beings left jobless, homeless, indigent, and not able to love, nurse, nurture, discipline, protect, and provide for children (jobs) they conceived; steal for life, pander for life, or scam Fathers disqualified for affirmative action with white skin, Union workers, consumers, taxpayers, and Americas grandchildren’s children; fund them paying for the more stock dividends (money) Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders (money marketers) market quarterly in the in the wholesale and retail price; of EVERY product and service Human Beings use for life. And Government needs to build, maintain, and operate schools; infrastructure; and provide government services; and national security. That gets only product or service. With money derived from wages or independent business profit.
This defiance of realities demands is needed to measure and maintain the strength and growth of this unaffordable economy and distribute wealth into Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders portfolios!
Posted 08:27 PM, 11/26/2009
Happy Thanksgiving Loren.
Posted 08:41 PM, 11/26/2009
ProChoiceLiberal that is about the smartest thing i heard yet about giving. Just because someone is down on their luck or or hungry doesn't mean they need saved, and it's insulting to them to make them feel less than a human being for being poor.
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 08:46 PM, 11/26/2009
get a yob!!!
Akron, Oh
Posted 09:22 PM, 11/26/2009
@Charles
Blessings to you. You are blessed my friend. It's not what you eat. Thanksgiving is what you make it. It's about family. There is a lot of help for you out there. Be proud and hold your head up high.
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:07 AM, 11/27/2009
Prochoiceliberal, its really very simple,We are choosing to share the word of God with His Food,
I'm sure the real people who Need the food also need to know that there is some one who cares for them..
it is just that simple..
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:14 AM, 11/27/2009
gg, Really someone down on there luck..
How is it insulting to them?? Just trying to show them that We care for them,
What is it that You are doing for them???
everywhere, oh
Posted 10:07 AM, 11/27/2009
ProChoiceLiberal - it is a central tenant of most religions to take care of the least of our brothers. That's a religious teaching......wait a minute.....taking care of those who have less is based in religion.....separation of church and state.....welfare is based on a religious teaching....government is endorsing a religious practice......end all government welfare if you are against religion.
The folks who get so upset over a church doing good for others need to ask themselves why it bothers them so much.
Posted 10:30 AM, 11/27/2009
Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving with food on their table and a roof over their head and a warm place to sleep.
Charles my hubby had to work on the holiday and today too; those seem to be the only hours that we can count on him working. He doesn't get any extra pay but he is working. I went to a family friends for dinner. If you call 211 then they could tell you who can help you out in your area. There are churches and food pantries out there and even places that could bring a food basket to your door during the holidays. We have eaten one of those bag meals on the holiday before ourselves; it was sad but we ate. I feel bad because my hubby didn't get a traditional dinner either but we are grateful to have some food on our table. God bless you Charles.
Thank you everyone for helping the poor and the working poor may you be blessed, we are grateful. We gave when we could and now we need help; we just pay utility bills and gasoline and behind on those bills too. Help in needed all year round; food pantries need donations. Gardeners and hunters who have extra please donate; call 211 and they will direct you.
Akron, Oh
Posted 04:12 PM, 11/27/2009
Prodeathlib would not be happy unless they were giving away gift-certificates for one free abortion with each sandwich.
STFU, FO
Posted 06:44 AM, 11/29/2009
or a fe.tus sandwich
Posted 07:47 PM, 11/30/2009
ProChoice & Gg
You missed a big part of the article. Only the FOOD is given one way. The friendship and the faith are shared both ways. Both of my children have been volunteers in the Labre program, and I can tell you that they have been the beneficiaries of some of the richest people in the world in that regard. We consider ourselves to be the ones learning a lesson of God's unconditional love. Suggest you read the article again. Peace.
