Oakton group spreads word about homelessness
Karen M. Skalitzky, author of “A Recipe for Hope: Stories of Transformation by People Struggling with Homelessness,” will lead panel discussions on the plight of the homelessness on Thursdays Nov. 3 and 10 at Oakton Community College.
Sponsored by Oakton’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, Skalitzky will discuss her book, which contains first-person accounts collected from the men and women of Inspiration Corp., an organization that aims to help the homelessness get back on their feet. Her stories challenge the preconceptions of homelessness and demonstrate how this problem affects people regardless of race, creed, or economic status.
Skalitzky will be at Oakton’s Skokie campus, 7701 N. Lincoln Ave., Room A145-152, at 11 a.m. Nov. 3, and Oakton’s Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road, Room 1610, at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 10.
In addition, Oakton’s Habitat for Humanity chapter will create “Shanty Village” at the Skokie campus Nov. 10-11. Students from more than 20 clubs will construct temporary outdoor shelters out of discarded material and spend the night in them.
Visitors can vote for their favorite shanty by placing donations in paint cans outside the shanties and a “soup and sandwich” kitchen will sell simple meals to benefit the homeless. For information, contact Marvin Bornschlegl at (847) 635-1845 or mbornsch@oakton.edu.