Cardboard City Challenge

Akang Udofia – Writer

The Cardboard City Challenge allowed students of different organizations to get a taste of what life is like for those without homes.

The event took place on March 28th from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. in the Lily Gymnasium. Participants created homes out of cardboard boxes and stayed in them for the night.

As college students, we often empathize with the less fortunate because personally we identify with what it is to live with minimal means, but the Cardboard City Challenge presented by the Student Government Association of Fayetteville State University put it into perspective just how lucky we are.

Fayetteville State University students participating in the Cardboard City Challenge. Photos provided by Tashira Patterson.

Homelessness is a growing issue in the United States, but awareness of this issue falls by the wayside. It can be difficult to sympathize if you’ve never experienced it first-hand, so this event strived to increase awareness to a growing issue in our society.

Mother Teresa once said, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

Students from different organizations on campus were challenged to build homes out of pieces of cardboard in the Lily Gym due to weather complications, and stay for one night in the homes they created.

Though the movie The Pursuit of Happiness was shown, it did not take away from the heart wrenching experience of actually living out what the movie portrayed. The humbling experience taught students that even though they have their challenges as college students, their situations could be gravely worse. Those that live this life day to day have it much worse.

The event was successful in its purpose of bringing awareness to the issue of homelessness. A piece of being “Proud to Be,” is being proud to serve, and the FSU Student Government Association showed their commitment to service with this phenomenal, life changing event.