3
We d n e s d a y May 5, 2010 www.newsrecord.org
spotlight highlighting the best of uc
photos provided by rebekah zoz
faces without places
A Miss America pageant contestant dedicates her time to helping homeless children JAYNA BARKER the news record
helping the homeless Rebekah Zoz participated in a mission trip in Africa where she worked with orphans and homeless children.
Young girls opened shoeboxes filled with socks, deodorant, earrings, lip gloss and eye shadow. Most were smiling. Some were screaming. Some were jumping up and down. But, amid the laughter and chaos, one child was crying. It was mindblowing to see children grateful for something as small as a shoebox. They were just regular shoeboxes put together as Christmas presents by local church organizations and businesses in Cincinnati, — nothing special. The items in the boxes probably didn’t cost more than $25. The children made cards for their families during the Christmas party later that day. One child was making a card for her brother who has been in jail since she was born. “It was heartbreaking to hear that. It’s just normal life for them,” said Rebekah Zoz, a fourth-year communications student at the zoz University of Cincinnati. “Their parents are on drugs, or they don’t know their mom, or they don’t know who their dad is, or they’ve never seen their brother because he’s in jail.” The Christmas party was hosted by Project Connect, a local organization hosted through Cincinnati Public Schools and the only program in Greater Cincinnati exclusively working with children experiencing homelessness. When the work became too much for Project Connect to do solely by itself, Faces without Places was born. While Project Connect is more hands-on, Faces without Places raises funds for the children. Faces without Places provides funding for the children for enrichment, summer programs, transportation, uniforms, supplies, enrollment assistance and field trips, Zoz said. Zoz has been an active volunteer since she was just 10 years old. Her family has been involved with the organization since the beginning; her aunt founded Faces without Places in 1998. Faces without Places is also Zoz’s platform for the Miss America Scholarship Program, in which she is competing to win the title of Miss Ohio. The pageant allows her to combine the two loves in her life: singing and community service. Her passion for giving back to the community led her to Africa, where she participated in a mission trip working with orphans and homeless children, allowing her to see both sides of the coin. “Their needs are the exact same even though they’re a world away,” Zoz said. “Kids still have
“You are blessed for what you have. You have to be thankful for it and not take it for granted.” —rebekah
spotlight.newsrecord@gmail.com | 513.556.5913
the same basic needs. They need school supplies, they need uniforms and they need food.” Although the children in Africa have the same needs as children in Cincinnati, it is on a much grander scale. And despite the small difference she made in Africa, what Zoz brought home with her was she had the opportunity that caused the mindset to change children’s lives, she said. The powerful experience of being in a different hemisphere and seeing the same heartbreaking issues changed the way Zoz lives her life and carries her purpose. “You just become so much more aware of how blessed and fortunate you are to have the opportunities you have,” Zoz said. Upon returning home, she devoted her time to community service, working to organize benefits and fundraisers with Faces without Places as well as Project Connect when time allowed. Each year before school returns to session, Faces without Places raises funds to keep children connected to their education by providing transportation to school, uniforms, book bags, school supplies, free lunch, tutoring, enrichment and an eight-week summer program. During the summer program they buy each child a swimsuit and celebrate each child’s birthday with one big party, so each child is able to celebrate their birthday, even if it’s six months away, Zoz said. Although Zoz primarily works with children, being involved with the homeless children in Cincinnati and Africa has changed her outlook on the population of the older homeless people in Cincinnati she sees every day on her way to and from school. “Instead of just being in my own little world — driving from West Chester to Cincinnati to park, go to class, leave class, get in my car and go back home — I’m very much aware of the people in my surroundings,” Zoz said. She used to just look past the man standing on the corner asking for money, but then realized it was not her right to judge what they’re going to do with the money; she couldn’t stand there and judge them, she said. “I have the means — the capability — and I’m going to give what I have to make a difference regardless of what they’re going to do,” Zoz said. So instead of giving out money every day, she packs an extra clementine and an extra bottle of water to give to anyone she passes by. Zoz recalls an incident recently in which immediately after giving a woman a bottle of water and one dollar, she guzzled down the see rebekah | page 2