BC student helps homeless with Sleepless in Seattle

Courtesy Gloria Louie
Courtesy Gloria Louie

Five years ago, University of Washington student Eddie Wang started college as a freshman. He soon became aware of the number of homeless individuals who hung out near campus. As Wang started to break out of his shell more, he began speaking to homeless people and learning their stories – where they came from and how they ended up on the street. These experiences led Wang to start a grassroots movement called “Sleepless in Seattle – Seattle Gives Back.” Today, not only is Wang still involved, but BC student Lewis Zhuo is as well.

Sleepless in Seattle collects donations online to purchase sleeping bags for the homeless and will donate all of the purchased sleeping bags on Dec. 13 during an event called “The Big Give.” From 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., volunteers will walk around Seattle handing out sleeping bags to those without shelter or other sources of warmth. During “The Big Give,” there will be 200 volunteers broken up into four teams of 50 which will disperse into prearranged zones.

According to Wang, Sleepless in Seattle is funded completely through individual donations, company donations, and an anonymous donor’s $25,000 one-to-one matching grant. All those who have taken the time to be involved with SIS have completely volunteered with no payout in the end. The money that is donated to Sleepless in Seattle goes straight to buying sleeping bags. The bags are bought in bulk, at a cost of 10 dollars per bag.

Zhou got involved with Sleepless in Seattle simply by being friends with Wang. “We’re good friends, and it’s just something he asked me if I was interested in doing,” said Zhou.

In the middle of October, Zhou put on a charity dinner at his church where the entry was $45 per person. According to Zhou, the church was decorated “extremely fancy” and was illuminated by candlelight. As for the actual dinner, Zhou recruited one of his friends who put on a complete three-course meal by herself. When all was said and done, Zhou raised $1,500 for Sleepless in Seattle from the dinner.

Outside of “The Big Give,” Sleepless in Seattle doesn’t have any future events planned. According to Zhou, an idea that the group has is to host sporting events with a $5 cover charge that will go straight to the organization.
As Sleepless in Seattle is completely donation driven and funded, Wang said that it “has its advantages and its drawbacks.” Wang continued by saying “The key advantage is that we have no overhead and that everyone involved deeply wants to be involved – otherwise, they wouldn’t be sacrificing their own free time.”
For those who wish to volunteer, donate or read more about Sleepless in Seattle, visit indiegogo.com and search “Sleepless in Seattle.”

Five years ago, University of Washington student Eddie Wang started college as a freshman. He soon became aware of the number of homeless individuals who hung out near campus. As Wang started to break out of his shell more, he began speaking to homeless people and learning their stories – where they came from and how they ended up on the street. These experiences led Wang to start a grassroots movement called “Sleepless in Seattle – Seattle Gives Back.” Today, not only is Wang still involved, but BC student Lewis Zhuo is as well.

Sleepless in Seattle collects donations online to purchase sleeping bags for the homeless and will donate all of the purchased sleeping bags on Dec. 13 during an event called “The Big Give.” From 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., volunteers will walk around Seattle handing out sleeping bags to those without shelter or other sources of warmth. During “The Big Give,” there will be 200 volunteers broken up into four teams of 50 which will disperse into prearranged zones.

According to Wang, Sleepless in Seattle is funded completely through individual donations, company donations, and an anonymous donor’s $25,000 one-to-one matching grant. All those who have taken the time to be involved with SIS have completely volunteered with no payout in the end. The money that is donated to Sleepless in Seattle goes straight to buying sleeping bags. The bags are bought in bulk, at a cost of 10 dollars per bag.

Zhou got involved with Sleepless in Seattle simply by being friends with Wang. “We’re good friends, and it’s just something he asked me if I was interested in doing,” said Zhou.

In the middle of October, Zhou put on a charity dinner at his church where the entry was $45 per person. According to Zhou, the church was decorated “extremely fancy” and was illuminated by candlelight. As for the actual dinner, Zhou recruited one of his friends who put on a complete three-course meal by herself. When all was said and done, Zhou raised $1,500 for Sleepless in Seattle from the dinner.

Outside of “The Big Give,” Sleepless in Seattle doesn’t have any future events planned. According to Zhou, an idea that the group has is to host sporting events with a $5 cover charge that will go straight to the organization.

As Sleepless in Seattle is completely donation driven and funded, Wang said that it “has its advantages and its drawbacks.” Wang continued by saying “The key advantage is that we have no overhead and that everyone involved deeply wants to be involved – otherwise, they wouldn’t be sacrificing their own free time.”

For those who wish to volunteer, donate or read more about Sleepless in Seattle, visit indiegogo.com and search “Sleepless in Seattle.”