ORLANDO, Fla. – Hundreds of volunteers spent Palm Sunday at Camping World Stadium getting results for Central Florida’s homeless community as they worked to put on the second annual “He Got Up” event.
The all-day event focused on giving back, with volunteers donating their time and resources to provide services for the homeless and others in need.
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Services and items offered at the event included job training and placement, medical, dental and legal help, food, clothing and haircuts.
Marcell Brown is a barber who finds truth in the saying, “If you look good, you feel good.” That’s why he donated his hair-cutting services during Sunday’s event.
“If you have a certain self-image of yourself and maybe your appearance isn't where you would want it to be, it starts with that haircut, maybe a new outfit, that new pair of shoes, just a shower,” Brown said. “Things like that can uplift your self-image and yourself."
Addy Mueller didn’t let her young age stop her from spending the day thinking about and helping others. The 10-year-old girl collected 3,700 pairs of shoes to provide for others during the event.
"All the shoes I've raised are going to the ones that actually need them," Mueller said.
The stadium turned into a place where Central Florida's homeless community and people in need could renew and start fresh.
The phrase “he got up,” and the sounds of prayer, songs and worship could be heard throughout Camping World Stadium.
Pastor Tim Johnson is the creator of the “He Got Up” event. He said he challenges his community to be a community that renews those living within it, and thinks that creating the environment for it to happen is a step in the right direction.
"This is a proactive way of addressing large-scale needs in our community across three counties. But do it in an atmosphere of celebration, because I think celebrating brings us together even more," Johnson said.
Event coordinators and volunteers are getting results for the community by not only helping the less fortunate, but making the community a better place to live.
"I think all of us actually coming together and making an investment together at pointed times to say, ‘We are part of the restoration process of those in need,’ and sometimes we get transformed in the process," Johnson said.
Sunday’s celebration marked the second annual “He Got Up” event after 2,000 volunteers got results for the homeless during the first run of the event in 2016. During last year’s event, 10,000 people were served, with 300 barbers working to give 4,000 haircuts, 20,000 hot dogs and hamburgers provided and more than 450 showers taken that day. Over 5,000 people received medical referrals, 500 received legal referrals and 300 were given job opportunities.
As many as 30,000 people and families in need were expected at Sunday’s event.
To find out more about "He Got Up," visit the event page.