The Student Alumni Association (SAA) at the University of Rhode Island will host the Nearly Naked Mile on March 6 at 4:30 p.m. to draw attention to the 4,000 homeless people in the state who do not have appropriate winter clothing.
The event will take place on the URI Quad and anyone is allowed to participate so long as they donate at least two articles of clothing. SAA Graduate Assistant Andrea Henninger said that although participants of the event are technically supposed to dress in summer attire and be in as little clothing as possible, runners can choose to wear more clothing if they are more comfortable.
“You don’t have to do it nearly naked, but it raises awareness,” she said.
The event is open at 4:30 p.m. but the actual mile starts at 5:15 p.m. There will also be pre-run Zumba and games before the event.
“We’re going to have paint for people to decorate themselves and Rhody the Ram is going to be there,” said Junior Sydney Reich, outreach chair and organizer for the event.
Henninger says that the Nearly Naked Mile has been a tradition for SAA for years.
“It has always been something we’ve been trying to help out with,” said Henninger. “It has become an important issue to raise awareness in the state of Rhode Island.”
URI has hosted its first Nearly Naked Mile in 2012 and since then have received a positive turnout throughout the years. Students who have attended the event in past years commend it for being a lot of fun and an overall great experience. In an online review of the event, one individual remarks that it was the best event he had attended on campus.
All clothing will be donated to the Jonnycake Center in Peace Dale. The Jonnycake Center mission is to provide basic needs, resources and hope to their community members. Their hope is to have a community without hunger and poverty, where everyone can reach their full potential and improve their quality of life.
The Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reports that Rhode Island has an estimated homeless population of 1,180 people as of January 2017.
According to a Rhode Island Housing and Urban Development Point in Time (PIT) count, homelessness is increasing in the state by 1.7 percent. Chronic homelessness increased by 66.6 percent and families experiencing homelessness increased by 25 percent. However, Crossroads Rhode Island points out that the counts may underestimate the actual number of homeless people.
Participants can sign up at the Nearly Naked Mile but it is encouraged that people sign up before at www.alumni.uri.edu
If students are unable to make the event on March 6, Reich says that SAA is sponsoring another big event, Oozeball, in April.