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Reading the War on Poverty

On Saturday, April 10, a group of high school Latin students did something extraordinary. They read aloud at a children's bookstore the entirety of Homer's Odyssey the epic tale of the Trojan War. In an event initiated by the Latin students of North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, titled Reading the War on Poverty, students obtained pledges in the amount of a nickel per line of poetry read. Their purpose? To raise money to contribute to Shepherd Community Center, whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty on the near east side of Indianapolis.

Starting at 9:00 a.m., the students arrived and began to read. The bookstore, Kids Ink, had set up a leather, wing-backed chair in its display window with a column, which could have come from the Roman forum, tipping at an angle behind. There the students took their place and began to read in fifteen-minute segments.

Freshmen through seniors, boys and girls, students of various ethnic backgrounds took part in this unique project to combat poverty and raise the awareness of Classical literature in our community. It clearly caught the attention of many people.

First, there was Kids Ink bookstore. Not only did the staff keep the store open extra hours on a Saturday and provide a lovely space in their storefront window where the students could read, they sent out a coupon to all their patrons saying they would donate 10% of all purchases that day to our cause. They even hung our banner outside under their awning!

And speaking of banners, Sign-a-Rama donated the banner to advertise this event. Using a design created by one of our students, Zoe Smith, Sign-a-Rama produced a beautiful all-weather banner that we can use for several years.

They weren't the only ones to donate to our cause. Alpha Shirt Company contributed all the red t-shirts that that Cat Olson screen printed with a design made by Zoe Smith.

When all was said and done, the students had obtained pledges or contributions in the amount of more than $1,300 from over 80 donors.

I would say it was an experience unlike any I have enjoyed before, but I have had over the years many opportunities to watch my Latin students do amazing things. Still, to have listened to the Odyssey read aloud, as it would have been in the days of Homer, straight through from beginning to end, and to know that the students who read were using their enjoyment of Classical literature as a way to fight poverty in their community, was truly one of the highlights of my career. It was a a great way to spend a Saturday.

Shepherd Community Center

Shepherd is a faith-based, non-profit organization established in 1985 with a simple but staggering goal: to break the cycle of poverty on the near east side of Indianapolis. Located centrally within the community it serves, Shepherd offers programs for children, teens, adults, and families, helping to meet their physical, emotional, academic, and spiritual needs.

http://www.shepherdcommunity.org/