Alumna Raises Funds for Homeless New Yorkers

 
The young alumna and D1 soccer star thought back to her days at Masters when she regularly volunteered with Midnight Run, the Dobbs Ferry-based nonprofit that distributes food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to homeless individuals living on the streets of New York City. She reached out to Midnight Run’s Executive Director Dale Williams, who “expressed the need of the organization and homeless community during this time,” Coffey said, and she began the process of organizing a fundraiser for the charity. 

“As COVID-19 continues to impact millions around the world, the homeless are one of, if not the most, marginalized and vulnerable communities suffering from it's wraths,” Coffey said. “I can't sit back in my beautiful home in Sleepy Hollow, New York, during a world pandemic and know that there millions of men and women in New York alone, who are without any sort of shelter, and are greatly suffering.” 

The GoFundMe she created for Midnight Run has already surpassed its goal of $2,000, having raised $2,290 from 50 donors as of this writing. The funds raised will go toward masks, gloves, sanitizer, food and other resources for the city’s homeless population, which Coffey hopes will afford individuals some safety from the virus. The distribution will likely take place in the next few weeks, and volunteers will include Coffey, her family, and a few others. 

Coffey, who is entering her senior year at Penn State University, where she plays D1 soccer, is also involved with initiatives to support homeless individuals in her Pennsylvania community. “A lot of this work has to do with my faith, and how I am guided to be near and to help those who are oppressed and poor,” she explained. “I'm called to love all of my neighbors, and that includes those who are without a home.”