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Camillus House News
Camillus House and the Young Presidents Organization welcomed Liz Murray: the homeless to harvard true story
March 6, 2009
Dr. Paul R. Ahr, President & CEO of Camillus House, Speaker Liz Murray and Alberto Cosio member of the Camillus Board and of the Young Presidents Organization.
Camillus House and the Miami and Americas' Gateway Chapters of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), welcomed Liz Murray on a special Homeless Awareness event this past February at Camillus’ Somerville Residences.
The event, which included a morning and an evening session, featured Liz Murray’s uplifting presentation “Homeless to Harvard.” Murray went from living on the streets to earning a scholarship to Harvard University. She gave testimony of her experience with homelessness and educated guests about the perseverance needed to overcome all odds to start living at full potential.
Guests at the event’s morning session included the Americas' Gateway Chapter members and their young children. All invitees brought donations, including clothes and toiletries, to assemble care packages to distribute among Camillus House clients. They were also invited to tour Camillus House and learn about our diverse programs for persons who are homeless. The evening session included the Miami Chapter members and their families. After Murray’s presentation, the Miami Chapter presented a very generous check to Camillus House to help our mission on behalf of persons who are poor and homeless.
Isabella Henriquez, 5, loads up a care package for Camillus House.Liz Murray was born and raised in New York to a broken family of drug addict parents. After the death of her mother to AIDS, 15 year-old Murray became homeless. Without a stable home, she managed to finish high school in two years and win a prestigious scholarship to Harvard University. Nowadays, Murray is an inspirational speaker, represented by the Washington Speakers Bureau, and tours the country sharing her personal story.
Murray wrote a memoir, Breaking Night, in 2005 and her story was the inspiration of the 2003 Emmy-nominated Lifetime TV movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. In addition, she has been featured in many billboard advertisements by The Foundation for a Better Life.
Camillus House thanks both YPO chapters and its members for bringing Liz Murray to Camillus House and for sharing this wonderful experience with us as well as their generous contributions to our mission. A special thanks to Alberto Cosio (Americas’ Gateway Chapter) and Mario Murgado (Miami Chapter) of YPO who were instrumental in making this event possible.
