Rye Brook Residents "Sleep for Solutions"

Close to 100 people gathered at the King Street Athletic Field in Rye Brook to participate in Sleep for Solutions, Westchester's first ever sleep-a-thon to raise money and awareness for the homeless.

The event, which was organized by 16-year-old Danny Ullman, a student at Blind Brook High School, began on Saturday night and ended on Sunday morning. Participants slept outside on the field and were allowed to bring sleeping bags and water, but not food. The purpose of the event was to allow people to experience homelessness for one night.

Ullman said the event would hopefully give people a better understanding of what causes homelessness in certain cases.

"We can try to empathize with those who are homeless so we don't live our lives in ignorance," he said. "We need to recognize that homelessness is not a choice."

Ullman, a junior at Blind Brook High School, said helping the homeless became an important cause for him because he grew up in New York City and would see homeless people nearly every day. He began participating in Midnight Run, a program through his temple that brings food, clothing and toiletries to the homeless in New York City.

In the summer of 2009, Ullman started an organization of his own called HEARTH For All, which stands for Homelessness, Education, Awareness, Relief and Tolerance for all.  Sleep for Solutions was HEARTH For All's first big event.

To participate in Sleep for Solutions, Rye Brook residents had to donate a minimum of $25 to the event's fiscal sponsor, the Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless. People were encouraged to donate items such as sleeping bags and blankets at the end of the sleep-a-thon.

Several children and parents attended the event together, as well as Blind Brook High School students, school and government officials.

The event began with speeches from Ullman, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Rye Brook Mayor Joan Feinstein and Rosa Boone, executive director of the Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless.

Congresswoman Lowey praised Ullman for being proactive in his efforts to spread awareness about an important cause.

"There are some people who see a problem and just walk on and there are others who say I'm going to do something about it," she said.

Mayor Joan Feinstein said Ullman first approached her in February with the idea to organize a sleep-a-thon. She said Danny's passion inspired her to give her full support for the event, which was made possible with approval from the Rye Brook Village Board and the Arbors, a housing development located next door to the field.

"He has the heart and he cares about people that aren't exactly in the same situation that he is," Feinstein said of Ullman.

Rosa Boone said though Westchester is a very wealthy county, about 200,000 of its 975,000 residents are either hungry or homeless.  She said Ullman has the courage "to talk about an issue that's not pretty." 

"You can't romance it," she said.

Michelle Wongus, who was previously homeless but received assistance from the Westchester Coalition, also spoke at the event. She talked about having to leave Pennsylvania with her six children because of an abusive relationship. She moved to Westchester County, where she had no family and ended up homeless. Wongus' situation has now improved. She has a job and housing for her and her children. She said that an event like Sleep for Solutions is important because it educates people about the plight that she and so many other people face.

Though the average home price in Rye Brook is well over $800,000, those who came to the event said the issue of homelessness resonates even more in today's economy.

"With the times the way they are right now, I think that anyone of us can be homeless, and I think we better look out for each other," said Mark Weingarten, one of Danny's neighbors who volunteered and participated in Saturday's event.

Blind Brook Board of Education President Steve Kaplan said communities like Rye Brook, which doesn't have a large homeless population, can be crucial in raising awareness and support for the issue.

"We're lucky in many respects and there are other people who don't have that, so this is a good way to learn," Kaplan said.

Ullman said he hopes Sleep for Solutions will be the first of many events in Rye Brook to educate people about homelessness.

"I hope that it will have a great impact and start a wave of spreading awareness so that more and more people get involved," he said.