Sign Up For News And Updates

Your Contact Information
First Name:
Last Name:
E-mail Address:
Sign up for the following:


Your Address
Address:
City:
State:
ZIP:
Mobile Phone:
Learn more about opt-in
By checking this box, you agree to receive email and text message updates from us. By checking this box, I consent to receive event and news updates via email and SMS. Unsubscribe anytime via provided links. Your information is safe with us and used solely for providing our News and updates. Standard Msg & Data rates may apply.

Subscribe to Stay Informed

Subscribe

Back to News

  YSS Wheeling SleepOut Art Installation Calls Attention to Local Youth Homelessness 

Posted 10/09/19

 

Candace and Caryce

For Immediate Release

Oct. 4, 2019

Contact: Betsy Bethel-McFarland, bmcfarland@ysswv.com, 304-218-2894 

 

WHEELING, W.Va.  —  A couch, a car, a tent. To most of us, these are emblems of comfort, freedom, fun. To local youth experiencing homelessness, they are the only things keeping them from sleeping on the streets. 

 

To draw attention to the plight of these young people, the first of five pieces of cardboard art is now on display in front of Centre Market on Market and 22nd streets in Wheeling. The series continues with a new painted cardboard cutout each week in a different location. Each piece is accompanied by a story based on a youth served by Youth Services System.

 

The installation leads up to Nov. 8, when YSS’s ninth annual Wheeling SleepOut takes place. The SleepOut is a team-building event that raises money for YSS’s Transitional Living Program, which serves youth who have been or are in danger of becoming homeless. 

 

“The idea behind the art installation was to create awareness throughout the community not only for the Wheeling SleepOut, but for the whole homeless youth population. Our hopes were to create a new perspective for the public to understand the severity of these issues and to connect with them on a more personal level. Each piece represents the stories of individuals that we serve at Youth Services System,” said Candace Drzik, an AmeriCorps VISTA-West Virginia Promise volunteer serving in the YSS Development Office. 

 

Fellow VISTA Caryce McGurn conceptualized the project, and together they contacted city officials and businesses, constructed the pieces and made it a reality.

 

“The city of Wheeling has been awesome in the process of getting permission to be able to do this. They gave us everything we needed and pointed us to exactly where we needed to go to ask the businesses who are participating. Every one of them immediately said yes when they were asked. It kind of blew me away. I can really feel the passion to make a change in this community,” McGurn said.

 

Future dates and locations of the installation are:

  • Through Oct. 7, Centre Market, Market and 22ndstreets
  • Oct. 10-14,The Health Plan, 1110 Main St. (Market Street side)
  • Oct. 17-21, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, 2121 Main St.
  • Oct. 24-28, Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church, 905 National Road
  • Oct. 31-Nov. 8, Mmm…Popcorn, 1057 Market St. (Market Plaza)

 

YSS is seeking sponsors and participants for the SleepOut, which is an overnight event held at the Miracle League field at the city’s J.B. Chambers I-470 complex. Individuals and teams raise money leading up to the Nov. 8 event and then are invited that night to construct cardboard structures to sleep in. The family-friendly event includes prizes, live musical entertainment, food, costumed characters and more. For more information or to donate, visit www.wheelingsleepout.org.

 

In the Top Photo:

Youth Services System Inc. volunteers Candace Drzik, left, and Caryce McGurn stand with the first in a series of five pieces they created for the Wheeling SleepOut Art Installation that will run through Nov. 8 at various locations throughout Wheeling. The SleepOut raises awareness about local youth experiencing homelessness and raises funds for the YSS Transitional Living Program, which serves youth who have been or in danger of becoming homeless.

 

Bottom Photo: The second installation in the series features a car outside The Health Plan's Market Street entrance.

Art Installation 2

 

 About Youth Services System, Inc. 

Youth Services System, Inc. is committed to responding to the complex needs of youth at serious risk. For 45 years, Youth Services System, Inc. has reached thousands of youth and their families with our shelter, residential, community-based and professional services. Together with youth and their families, we work to improve their physical and emotional well-being, to address the debilitating effects of abuse, addiction, and trauma, and to build the skills and connections they need to be successful. Supported by our volunteer Board of Directors, dedicated staff, and faithful community support, Youth Services System, Inc. makes an impact in the lives of youth. For more information, visit www.youthservicessystem.org.

 

###