LOOK: Lakewood Teens Raise Money for the Homeless

A large group of Lakewood teenagers were homeless Saturday night.

But just for one night. 

The teens traded text messages for cardboard boxes to sleep outside of St. Peter’s Episcopal and Lakewood Congregational churches on Detroit Avenue, where they raised awareness — and money — for the homeless.

In just the 12 hours of begging on the street, the students raised hundreds of dollars.

For more information on the event, check out these two blog posts. 

• Youth from West End Lakewood Churches Helping the Homeless
• Lakewood Teens Giving Up Electronics for a Night to Learn about Plight of the Homeless

There are thousands of people homeless every night in Cleveland and more than 20,000 homeless every year in Cuyahoga County, according to the website of North East Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.

This is the ninth year of the event, benefitting several area homeless support agencies, including the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, the 2012 Homeless Stand Down and Family Promise.

Participating children — from 11 years old to 18 — gather at the corner of West Clifton Boulevard and Detroit Avenue to raise money and awareness for the cause.