Carrollwood Day School student compiles stories of people experiencing homelessness

HYDE PARK — Alice Sutton considers herself a good listener.But, as sociable as this 17-year-old Carrollwood Day School junior and Tampa Palms resident is, she sometimes doesn’t know which questions to ask or where to begin a conversation.So, while working at the Open Arms program at Hyde Park United Methodist Church, in which she helps serve food and other items to homeless and low-income individuals, Alice just listens.She’ll listen to stories filled with happiness and tragedy, with humor and sadness. Stories filled with every aspect of life — from celebration to drug use, from jubilation to prison time.“I think a lot of these people don’t have anyone else when they leave the church,” Alice said, “and I think a lot of them come here for that interaction. We serve them food and help them, but there’s so much more to it. I sit down and talk with them and leave and I have this whole new relationship with someone.“I was just listening to some people,” she added, “and I don’t even know how to put it into words (but) they had been through so much. Their experiences that they’ve had — one crossed the border and worked so hard to get here and they still need help. They’re really struggling.”And hearing of their struggles can be emotional, Alice said.“It was hard to sit down and have these conversations and leave and return to my life, because they don’t get to do that and, I don’t want to use the word sad, but it’s definitely emotional.”Those emotions led to Alice seeking an outlet — anything — to put down what she had heard and learned from those less fortunate than herself. Fortunately, she was assigned the Personal Project as part of the International Baccalaureate program at Carrollwood Day School. The project called for the students to present anything they were passionate about. For Alice, it was working with people at Open Arms.Alice ended up writing a book — one filled with nearly 20 stories of people who came into Open Arms and willing to share. Some are longer than others, some have a happy ending, others don’t or have no closure at all.But Alice’s hard work, on the book and at Open Arms, won her the Best Personal Project Award at the school.And it even led her to self-publish the book.“Alice’s project was notable (because of) her commitment and the service she did gathering stories while volunteering,” said Sabrina McCartney, who oversaw the Personal Project Fair. “She recognized members of the Tampa Bay community who are not always ‘seen’ (that paved) the way for an outstanding project — not to mention (that led her) to write this book.“I was struck by her opening words and then the stories that followed,” the teacher added. “As you can imagine, Alice is an amazing student who cares about others.”Every Sunday at Open Arms at Hyde Park United Methodist, the doors open for meals, phone charging and even some medical screenings.It’s Alice who offers a kind ear or engaged conversation.“We don’t have a lot of volunteers who have conversations with the homeless people who come here like she does,” said Heidi Aspinwall, the church’s director of missions and outreach. “Alice really understands about making an effort and a connection with them. She’s a great example to others because if she can do it, anyone her age or even older can do it.”Alice has an idea where her social skills came from.“I think that comes from my mom,” she said. “She’s a psychologist, and I get the listening part of the social interaction and I’ll have convos with people here and they’ll even say, ‘You’re like a therapist. You’re such a good listener.’”Her mother, Danielle, agrees.“She’s got beautiful social skills,” her mother added, “and she’s very empathic, a very caring person. She comes home from (Open Arms) and she’ll worry about someone all week.”That’s because, sometimes, it might have been the last time Alice spoke with an individual. Like in the story of “Polly” from her book.Polly talked about losing a person to cancer and took the time to tell her story to Alice, but after the interview ended, that was the last Alice saw of her.“It is important to Polly for others in the same position to know that they are not alone,” Alice wrote. “Polly’s story is not over. And neither are theirs.”Danielle recognized writing down the stories became a therapeutic outlet for her daughter.“She would come home and be like, ‘Mom, I don’t know how to put this together,’” Danielle said. “Sometimes the stories are outlandish and sometimes the story, and person, sticks with her. … I just love that she sees the value in every person and every story, no matter who they are or what they’re talking about.”As Alice plans for college (“Somewhere in a city, like New York or Boston,” she said) and continues her work with Open Arms, she plans to share more stories — not for another school project or even to sell more books (she says she’s sold about 120 copies so far).Alice just plans on listening.“I wouldn’t have considered myself a social butterfly before I came here, but now I’m much more social,” she said. “I talk with them, and they ask me about school and my life, too.“It’s tough when you don’t see (someone) again or not for a while,” she added. “They might have talked about what’s next for them or seeing them next week … so when you don’t see them, there’s worry — you have no idea, no closure, and so many people are dying on the street and that’s the first thing I think — did they pass away? I don’t want to, but it’s the reality of it.“I thought I would finish (the book) and put it behind me, but this is something I want to continue. I hope that when I go to college, I can find a place like this to volunteer and listen,” Alice continued. “It’s going to be really hard to leave this behind.” “We All Have A Story” By Alice SuttonDetails: What started as a school assignment by Carrollwood Day School student Alice Sutton turned into a passion project to tell the stories of those experiencing homelessness.To purchase the book, visit Amazon.

Carrollwood Day School student compiles stories of people experiencing homelessness

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