Prof. Susan Tripathy Thomson's class Helps the Homeless People of Lowell

From left to right, 
Christian Nambu
Emily DelDotto
Katelyn Sanderson
Melvin Gomez

Over the course of the 2015 Spring Semester, Prof. Thomson's class has been volunteering at sites throughout the Lowell Community. One group had the pleasure of volunteering at Living Waters Center of Hope in downtown Lowell. Living Waters is non-profit, volunteer run, drop in center for anyone in need. They offer services to the homeless and the housed. Services include Feeding/hunger relief, Guest Services and Homeless Outreach, Educational Support, and Therapeutic/Recreations programs.

Students from Thomson's class volunteered at Living Waters for 3 hours a week throughout the semester. Their regular duties included serving coffee, preparing breakfast for the homeless, and helping with special projects in the Center. One special project coordinated by the students was a pizza party for the homeless named "PizzArt", where the homeless were able to paint pictures and tap into their creative side while snacking on Pizza.

Since March, the group helped organize and plan the event "Different Strokes of the Same Brush: The Homeless Story" Art Exhibit, held on April 18th. The event's purpose was to tell the story of the homeless of Lowell through their own original artwork. The artwork created at the "PizzArt" paint night was displayed throughout  Living Waters, along side quotes from the artist about their experiences dealing with homelessness.

 The students found experiencing the homeless at a personal level very eye opening, "We know about homelessness, we hear about it all the time and even walk by homeless people in Lowell, but this experience put a face to it. Getting to know them personally I learned that they have goals and self respect, they're hardworking and not just sitting around in life" student volunteer Christian Nambu explained. Living Waters "provides a hopeful place and a peaceful environment for people to come, there's no swearing or fighting, they can come just come to talk and express their feelings, it's a community" said Melvin Gomez. The students found the experience very rewarding and personal. Their volunteer work helped change and shape their attitudes toward homelessness. They hope to continue their volunteer work at Living Waters until the end of the Spring 2015 semester.