It has never been a college student’s dream to end up living in a box. Two University freshmen are trying to raise homeless awareness through an event called “Sleep in a Box.” The goal of “Sleep in a Box” is to “help raise awareness and donate funds for the homeless through school spirit and community involvement.” The event will take place on the Parade Ground on March 29 at 8 p.m. and end at 6 a.m. the next morning. Participants will build a box out of cardboard and compete for the most creative-looking box. There will be games, music, contests and drinks, but the participants will spend the night inside their boxes. Dustine Lail and Nicholas Totaro, both freshmen, started “Sleep in the Box” this past year at their high school in Lafayette. This year they created an organization called Lataro Foundation, which is in the final stages of becoming official. Lataro Foundation was established to benefit the 13 homeless awareness departments in Louisiana. Through “Sleep in a Box,” they raised $8,000 this past year to give to the Homeless Awareness Department of Lafayette Parish. Their goal is to match the $8,000 donation this year. “It started as a school-spirited event two years ago, and then turned into what it is now,” Lail said. Totaro said they would like to have 400 participants registered by the deadline on Friday and 500 participants altogether. Participants pay $10. They can register after Friday, but the fee will increase to $15. “All the donations depend on how many participants want to be involved,” Totaro said. All the money will go to the Homeless Awareness Department of East Baton Rouge Parish, Totaro said. Businesses can donate money to the event. Lail said most of the sponsors are individual donators. While only University students can participate in “Sleep in a Box,” anyone can come and watch the event for $5. The money will go toward their $8,000 goal.
—-Contact Joy Lukachick at [email protected]