30 Hour Famine Webcam

For more information or to pledge your support, please contact Jessica Fulton

Photos by Michele Newbanks

Kyle Bolinger, a member of the River Valley Community Church chapter of Nazarene Youth International
in Vienna, sits inside his cardboard box during the group's homelessness simulation. Because of
freezing temperatures, the event was held inside.

Let's Pretend

Group simulates homelessness for 30 hours

Youth leader Jeff Edman helped get the
cardboard boxes set up for this week-
end's 30-hour homeless simulation.

By MICHELE NEWBANKS
Staff Writer

    What would it be like to sleep in a card-board box or go without food for 30 hours'?
    Members of the Nazarene Youth International found out just that this weekend.
    NYI, a teen youth group at River Valley Community Church in Vienna, partici-
pated in World Vision's 30-
hour famine this weekend.     They also took it one step further.
     To gain a better understanding of what it is like to be less fortunate, six youth group members elected lo sleep in cardboard boxes in the church's parking lot. Because of below-
freezing temperatures, the boxes were moved into the church's activities center.
    The kids fasted lo raise money for the hungry around the world.
    “The homeless go hungry all the time,"said teen leader Jessica Fulton. "We've never been hungry where we couldn't go into the kitchen and get something to eat."
    The fasting began at 7 p.m. Friday and ended at 1 a.m. today.
    While they slept in boxes at night, the teens partici-
pated in service projects during the day.
    "We will be working at the Salvation Army and cleaning the basements of apartment buildings," Fulton said Friday night as the group set up their new homes.
    The youth group also participated in devotions and prayed for requests submit-
ted by the

congregation of the church.
    To raise money for the project, the teens had a pledge goal of $150 per member. By Friday night, several had reached the $200 mark.
    Jeff Edman, youth leader and NY I president, discovered the World Vision program on the Internet and decided it would be a great project for his youth group. This was the first year NYI participated in the project.
    "The (cardboard) boxes were donated and delivered by Keith Morris, proprietor of Modern Maytag in Vienna," Edman noted.
    The youth group members were encouraged to use things they had made for their box homes during the event. The boxes were decorated and had trash-bag covers.
    Duct tape held smaller boxes together to make bigger homes for the teens to sleep in.
    More than one million teens from 21 countries fasted to raise money For the World Vision project. The program allowed kids to help stamp out world hunger.
    "World Vision is hosting it and we send the money to them," Fulton said. "They will send us pictures of what it bought."
    Youth-group members participating in the fasting and service projects were Michelle Conley, Heather Harper, Kyle Bolinger, Kenneth Fulton, Tommy Conley and Fulton.
    The group's activities were broadcast over the Internet on the church's Web site at www.rvccnaz.com/30hf.htm.

The article above appeared on the front page of the Parkersburg News - February 24, 2002

What is the 30 Hour Famine? The 30 Hour Famine is a World Vision program that allows young people to make a significant impact on the problem of world hunger. By pledging to go without food for 30 hours, participants not only raise money to help alleviate this type of suffering, but also gain an understanding of how it feels to experience hunger. It is our hope that this experience, combined with a greater awareness of the suffering taking place in many parts of the world, will inspire young people to compassion and a greater desire to make a difference in the lives of others.		The RVCC Teens elected to go one step further. In order to gain a better understanding of people who are less fortunate, the teens didn't go home and sleep in their beds on Friday night, but slept in boxes. The original plan was to sleep in boxes in the church parking lot, but due to below freezing temperatures, it was decided to turn the heat off in the gym and move the boxes in there. Saturday was spent performing service projects for our community. At other times during the famine, we participated in intercessory prayer and devotions.

Snapshot:
Event:	World Vision's 30 Hour Famine http://www.30hourfamine.org
Purpose:	To help raise money to feed hungry people around the world and save lives of children.
Who:	Teens involved in NYI (Nazarene Youth International) at RVCC. The event is being led and coordinated by one of the participating teens.
Where:	River Valley Community Church (RVCC) 1412 27th Street, Vienna, WV
When:	7 pm Friday February 22 until 1 am Sunday February 24
What:	The teens will fast (no food) for the entire time. Friday night they will sleep in cardboard boxes in the church parking lot. Saturday they will participate in service projects. Throughout the fast the teens will participate in devotions and engage in intercessory prayer for others.
How:	The teens are asking people to pledge money to sponsor them for the fast. One hundred percent of the money collected will be used to purchase food for the hungry.