The mission of "Sleep in a Box" is to help raise awareness and donate funds for the   homeless through school spirit and community involvement. Students become aware of the situation that fellow peers deal with daily by spending one night in a cardboard house that the students build.

Sleep in a Box originated at Lafayette High School in Lafayette, LA in 2007. The event successfully accommodated more than 500 participants and raised in excess of $8,000 for the Homeless Edcuation Programs at public school systems in Louisiana. We were recognized at the annual convention for the Regional Homeless Education for Children and Youth in Baton Rouge, LA in April 2007 and by the National Association of Homeless Education for Children and Youth in Portland, OR in November of the same year. Now, in an exciting development, we are bringing this event to Louisiana State University.

This event is held to support The Lataro Foundation. The Lataro Foundation is a homeless awareness foundation with a mission to support and aid Louisiana youth. The goal of the foundation is to reach a corpus of $100,000 in its endowment. Each year the foundation will be able to make a contribution by donating to the thirteen regions of homeless awareness departments in Louisiana. Our personal goal is to help The Lataro Foundation reach its projected corpus so we can make a difference in children’s lives.

The Lafayette High Sleep in a Box event was an overwhelming success. Participants were admitted at 8:00 p.m. and were divided into Boy’s Town and Girl’s Town on either side of the Lafayette High football stadium. Participants then constructed their homes and filed into the bleachers. The National Anthem was sung and then Mr. Carl Lacombe, Lafayette Parish School Board President, cut the red ribbon to officially initiate the event. Dr. Leonard, Principal of Lafayette High School, and two Assistant Principals were the judges for the most decorative boxes in various categories. Prizes were awarded to the contest winners and raffled prizes were also distributed. The event then offered games, food, drinks, and music for all participants until 3:30 a.m. At 3:30 a.m., also known as "Dead Time", all games ceased and participants retired to their cardboard houses to sleep. One objective of this event was to allow the participants to experience one night as a homeless person where they were without anything electrical that people take for granted every day. At 5:30 breakfast was provided along with t-shirts that read, "I survived Sleep in a Box." The event ended and clean-up began at 6:00 a.m. All students wore their pajama pants and Sleep in a Box t-shirt to school the following day.

The participants gained first- hand knowledge and an understanding of the situation their homeless peers experience. 100% of the proceeds benefited the Homeless Awareness Department of Lafayette Parish to help the homeless students of the Parish. The funds help to provide previously inaccessible school supplies, class fees, clothing, athletic fees and housing the homeless students require.

Chartered in January 2008 The Lataro Foundation was established to benefit the thirteen homeless awareness departments of Louisiana. The Sleep in a Box at LSU, sponsored by Residence Hall Association, will bring the same experience to a post-secondary school level of participants - again spreading homeless awareness throughout Louisiana.

The Sleep in a Box at LSU will take place on March 29, 2008 beginning at 8:00 PM and ending at 6:00 AM on the 30th. The cost is $15 and each participant must complete the registration form. Participants must be currently enrolled at LSU. The participants will build their houses out of cardboard and duct tape. There will be various contests for the most creative boxes. Music, dinner, snacks, drinks and breakfast will be provided throughout the night and the following morning. Once a participant enters he/she cannot exit and re-enter. The following morning each participant will receive a t-shirt that reads "I survived Sleep in a Box March 29th - 30th 2008." All of the boxes will be recycled.