Midvale • As members of Youth for Youth for nearly five years, Ashton Palmer and Andrew Hagedorn have led an effort to raise $1 million in cash and in-kind donations to help homeless Utahns.
The pair got a taste of just how badly that money is needed Saturday by spending the day learning what it's like to live on the streets.
Under the supervision of Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder and parent volunteers, Palmer, Hagedorn and six other teens hit the streets and freeway entrances near Midvale's St. James Episcopal Church to hold cardboard signs and panhandle.
They reflected on what they learned before setting up cardboard shelters near a busy street where they planned to spend the night.
"I have been working to help for a long time, but I did not know what it was like to be homeless," said Palmer, a Holladay teen who works as a lifeguard at the Cottonwood Country Club. She held a sign that read, "Came Out, Kicked Out, Need Money for Food." In a little more than an hour, she collected $97.
One man asked her if she would like some food. When she said yes, he invited her into his car. When she refused to get in the car, he drove away.
Hagedorn, who works at the Salt Lake Country Club, raised $16.36 as a panhandler. He held a sign that read, "I bet you a $1 you read this. Karma."
Even though his panhandling was only an exercise, it helped him realize how difficult it must be to be a homeless youth with no money, no food, no shelter and only the clothes on your back.
Hagedorn watched as a driver of an expensive BMW did everything possible to avoid staring at him by fiddling with his radio and looking at his iPhone. A woman behind the man in an old Geo smiled at him and gave him $5, an act that made him happy.
Winder and another officer watched over the eight youth from a distance. The sheriff said he got involved because homeless youth between the ages of about 15 and 22 in Utah find themselves in difficult positions.
That fact became clear Saturday when Youth for Youth member Madi Palmer watched a man stop. As her dog licked his hand, the man asked if she would get into the vehicle with him for food. After the 15-year-old said no, the man drove past and tried again to get her into the car. She was grateful her mother and the sheriff were nearby.
Ashton and Madi Palmer's mother, Terry, a Youth for Youth mentor, said it was scary the way the situation played out, especially because the license plate on the car was not registered.
Terry Palmer thought the panhandling experience helped the teenagers recognize that the people who panhandle have some dignity.
Parent Kim Smart said she watched as Megan Dolle and Bryce Murphy panhandled near a freeway ramp. Just moments after they started, someone reported them to the Utah Highway Patrol. An officer came up and told Murphy he could not be there. Smart told him that they had been working with the sheriff's office.
"I was nervous for all those kids," Smart said.
Murphy said he was surprised at how vulnerable panhandling made him feel.
Sarah Ferguson, of Sandy, said it made her feel better when people talked to her. One older woman asked her why she was homeless and gave her money.
"They care," said Ferguson. "They want you to succeed."
Youth for Youth, which got its beginnings at St. James, has worked closely with Volunteers of America, a group that tries to combat youth homelessness by giving young people the tools they need to be self-sufficient.
VOA spokesman Zach Bale said his organization is working to build a 14-bed shelter for young men and has a seven-bed facility for young women. He said 75 percent of the youth on the street have experienced physical and sexual abuse.
VOA works on prevention as well as providing for basic needs, including a safe place to stay.
Many homeless teens do not want to work with children's services because they fear they will be returned to their parents. They are reluctant to go into shelters designed for an older clientele and often don't fit in facilities built for parents with young children.
wharton@sltrib.com
Twitter: @tribtomwharton
