Teenagers can sometimes be considered selfish and oblivious to the needs of others. But that isn’t always true and often times, a group of teenagers can prove just how compassionate they are.
A devastating truth is that many of our veterans, who fought to defend this country, are currently homeless. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that 39,471 veterans are homeless. 50% of those homeless veterans suffer from mental illness.
When one homeless man died, with no known family in the area to bury him, a group of Massachusets teens stepped forward to plan a funeral.
These high school seniors have gained national attention for their kind act. It is amazing to see these teenagers coming together to do something so compassionate.
When a group of seniors at Catholic Memorial High School learned that a homeless veteran would be buried without anyone in attendance at his funeral, they knew they had to do something.
They did not know the homeless veterans name, so they referred to him as John.
“We have a lot of veterans in my own family so I know the sacrifice he made for the country and I know the service he committed in the years he committed to serving our country,” senior class president, Will Padden, told WAFB.
Even though none of these students knew this man, that didn’t stop them from planning his funeral. They partnered with Lazarus Ministry and Lawlar and Crosby Funeral Home to plan a special tribute.
The students all felt very honored to take part in the ceremony for John. The seniors served as pallbearers during the funeral and escorted John’s flag-draped coffin to the waiting hearse as “Taps” played.
“For us paying homage to a veteran, to bring him to our campus, to provide the burial rights he deserves, and to honor his legacy and to help our boys realize we have to stand with those who are marginalized,” said the school’s president, Peter Folan.
This veteran’s death is truly tragic and sadly part of a larger statistic.
John died on the streets in West Roxbury, MA, but thankfully, he was honored at his funeral. The high school seniors at Catholic Memorial High School made sure of that for him.
Are you proud to see these high school seniors making a difference in their community?
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