鈥淚 never knew really what it meant for me to give back, where I get more out of it than I can ever give鈥ntil Covenant House.鈥�
Capathia Jenkins spoke for us all. The Broadway community raised over $230,000 this year for New York City鈥檚 homeless youth, but the amount was incomparable to the amount of hearts that were filled and minds that were changed on the hot concrete at 41st Street and Tenth Avenue.
Once a year, the Broadway community rallies together to sleep outside in solidarity with the city鈥檚 homeless youth. The young adults, however, stay inside; they鈥檝e been gifted shelter by Covenant House, the organization striving to get as many of them off the streets as possible, provide them with love and support and steps to obtaining a job and home.
Some of the young adults are performers themselves鈥攁fter all, as visitors are told, 鈥渢he least interesting part about them is that they鈥檙e homeless.鈥� So when Broadway comes to visit, it鈥檚 one of the most exciting nights of the year. The young adults can鈥檛 believe that artists have taken their night off from Broadway to sleep outside and show that they care. (After all, we鈥檙e only provided with a cardboard box and sleeping bag鈥攏o pillow鈥攆or a night on the city streets; luckily, though, there鈥檚 all-night access to a bathroom.)
As Adrienne Warren put it, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no line鈥� separating us from them. 鈥淟ast year, I recognized a girl who I basically saw almost every week鈥攋ust in life, just around the city鈥攁nd I had no idea she was homeless,鈥� Warren explained. 鈥淚 recognized her picture here.鈥�
The actress, who returned for her second Sleep Out鈥攖his year with her Shuffle Along co-stars, including a very pregnant (but very impassioned) Audra McDonald鈥攚as changed by the people she learned about last year, realizing that nothing separates the Broadway community and those at Covenant House except our circumstance.
This year, before turning in for the night, Warren looked up to the Covenant House and saw a girl with whom she worked with at the organization鈥檚 weekend-long performing festival, Crossing Brides. She held a sign up that read, 鈥淚 love you. Thank you.鈥�
鈥淚t puts a face to the cause, and all of a sudden,鈥� Warren said, 鈥渢hat cause is a heartbeat. All of a sudden, a cause is a life of someone you do actually care about. I haven鈥檛 seen that girl since we worked at Crossing Bridges, and yet now, she鈥檚 the only thing I can think about.鈥�
Throughout the night, the Broadway community had met the homeless youth, toured the Covenant House, changed into their pajamas, brushed their teeth and went outside into the space鈥檚 parking lot鈥攐ur bedroom for the evening. Though we only had the concrete to keep us warm鈥攏ot that we needed to be kept warm in 90-degree weather鈥攕leepers were protected by security and had constant access to the bathroom and snacks, simple privileges that homeless people are not afforded.
In true Broadway fashion, when words are simply not enough, we sing鈥攖o be heard, to make change, to feel, to communicate, to engage, to share, to love. An impromptu performance of Bill Withers鈥� 鈥淟ean on Me鈥� happened sometime around midnight; the Broadway community sang their new friends to sleep, expressing that, no matter what, our hearts will remain open and that鈥攄espite their unfortunate circumstance鈥攖hey are loved.
鈥淎s cheesy as it sounds,鈥� said Stephanie J. Block, 鈥渨e sang a song鈥�80 people strong, and we have kids looking out of their windows with 鈥業 love you鈥� signs out there. They just feel loved and noticed and appreciated, and you can鈥檛 put a price on that.鈥�
Though it almost feels like a slumber party, with some of Broadway鈥檚 best bonding over intimate conversation and card games, it begins to sink in when your body gives in around 2 AM. The ground is hot. The concrete is hard. The air is heavy. The noise is loud. The bugs are biting. You cannot get comfortable.
Some sleep鈥攆or minutes at a time. Some stare into space to pass the time. And, it slowly sinks in that one night out on the streets is nothing compared to what homeless youth must face every single day until they find shelter鈥攊f they鈥檙e lucky.
Last year, 鈥淚t down-poured at like three in the morning,鈥� Lilli Cooper recalled, 鈥渟o we didn鈥檛 really have the chance to sleep on the street for more than a few hours. But, this year, we were there for six-seven hours, and I felt the impact on my body, which I didn鈥檛 feel last year. That is something that was really eye-opening that was a new experience for me鈥攈ow physically painful it actually is.鈥�
But, Broadway continues to return, especially the event鈥檚 executive committee, made up of Stephanie J. Block, Jeff Calhoun, Darius de Haas, Capathia Jenkins and Audra McDonald. McDonald stayed until nearly midnight, just before everyone took to the street鈥攁nnouncing the evening鈥檚 totals, meeting with the youth and supporting the community.
It was Jenkins who rallied the troops a few years back and got everyone involved with the Covenant House, after she sang in a concert event for the organization.
鈥淚t was a gig,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淚 was in the green room with the kids talking, and they were [saying], 鈥業 can鈥檛 believe you鈥檙e a Broadway star and talking to us!鈥� I was like, 鈥業 love talking to you guys.鈥� 鈥� So that鈥檚 how I got involved, and I just kept doing concerts, and then Kevin Ryan, the president of Covenant House, wrote me a letter asking me if I鈥檇 consider joining the Board of Directors. I was sort of like, 鈥榃hat? Huh?鈥�
鈥淔or me, my knowledge of a board is corporate men in suits who write checks. I said to Kevin, 鈥業 know I look like a million dollars onstage, but I鈥檓 not rolling like that.鈥� He said, 鈥榃e鈥檝e seen you with the kids. We know they gravitate towards you and them. We need your heart on the board鈥攜our heart and soul鈥攁nd quite frankly, we need diversity on our board.鈥� I was like, 鈥極kay, I can do that all day鈥攋ust be myself.鈥� That鈥檚 an easy thing to do. And it just bust my heart wide open.鈥�
Before the night ended, one of the teens shared her story. After being kicked out of her house, she found Covenant House. She graduated high school. She got a scholarship to college. She wants a career in television.
McDonald yelled from the corner of the room: 鈥淲ell, just be yourself.鈥�
鈥淔rom the first kid鈥檚 story, I was hooked,鈥� said Calhoun, a frequent visitor to Covenant House locations around the world. 鈥淚t鈥檚 infectious.鈥�
To learn more about Covenant House, visit .
is the Features Manager at 半岛体育.com. Follow him on Twitter at . Watch his whole Sleep Out experience, via the 半岛体育 Snapchat, below.
