[April 26, 2012, Naperville, IL] Crying in the corner of a
church hall, the baby makes known her need for clean diapers and a bottle. Meeting
that demand depends on the beleaguered parent’s budgetary struggles and the
shelter’s fluctuating supply.
Hunger and hygiene are only two unmet needs facing hundreds
of “littlest nomads,” homeless babies and toddlers, in affluent DuPage County. With
infancy the most critical stage of human development, homelessness can ravage
the future of these vulnerable babies. This detrimental but preventable experience
can be alleviated with greater awareness.
HEAR US Inc., a
Naperville-based nonprofit giving voice and visibility to homeless children,
will shed light on this invisible issue at a national premiere screening of
their new film, Littlest Nomads,
on Thursday, May 10th, 7 p.m., at Meiley Swallow Hall, 31 S.
Ellsworth St., North Central College in Naperville, as part of Film
Central, NCC Professor Richard Guzman’s effort to highlight locally
produced, socially significant media.
The event is open to the public, students $3, public $5. All
proceeds go to HEAR US. Donations of diapers, wipes, formula and baby food will
be accepted and distributed to DuPage programs serving families with homeless babies. (PDF flier of the event)
Littlest Nomads, filmed and produced by HEAR US president Diane Nilan, with technical support from Dr. Laura Vazquez of Northern Illinois
University, is narrated by Roseanne Tellez, WBBM-TV newscaster. Sarah Benjamin, a national homeless infant-family expert, collaborated on this project. This short film
highlights both the plight of Littlest Nomads and offers solutions to ease
their developmental trauma.
Littlest Nomads will be available (mid-May) on the HEAR US film collection My Own Four Walls (Order DVD, $40 +s/h), Nilan’s acclaimed first documentary featuring homeless children and youth sharing their views of homelessness. Littlest Nomads is appropriate for educators, child care professionals, shelter volunteers and persons interested in learning more about homelessness.
For more information, 630/225-5012, or diane@hearus.us.
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