Dodds Couch-A-Thon to aid Shelter, Inc.

The men of Dodds are couch potatoes, and proud of it.\nThe Doddsmen will sponsor their annual Couch-A-Thon from noon Friday until noon Saturday to raise money for Shelter, Inc., a non-profit emergency and transitional housing service for homeless families. \nMembers of the Wright Quad house will be stationed on couches in front of the Dodds door on the corner of 10th Street and Jordan Avenue to collect money.\n"There's something going on for 24 hours," promised Gerard Gasparino, a senior, who is also coordinating the event. He said he expects participants to play instruments, toss footballs or even just listen to a stereo. "All we do is have a good time."\nAccording to the Shelter's Web site, it can house up to 30 single adults and 14 families. The goal of the organization is to provide a smooth transition for the homeless to work toward self-sufficiency. Programs including employment counseling, treatment for addictions and medical services.\nAccording to a release from Shelter, Inc., space is limited and some residents have slept in cots in the community kitchen. Not enough rooms exist in the shelter for families to have private conferences with their caseworker and no staff worker has his or her own office.\nShelter, Inc. has been in the Bloomington community for 186 years and 15 percent of its budget is paid by the United Way or from individual contributions, according to the Web site. Families comprise 49 percent of the people living in the shelter. Twenty-eight percent are children.\nDodds Governor Justin Alexander, a junior, has been in charge of informing residents about the needs and services of the shelter. He has also been in close contact over the past few weeks with Shelter, Inc.'s Executive Director, Michael Reinke. \nLast year, the Doddsmen earned close to $2,000, a goal they said they would like to surpass this year. The IU Foundation said it will match the amount raised by the "couch sitters." Alumni of Dodds are also big financial supporters of the event, Gasparino said. Although most contribute money to Dodds around Little 500 time, some also give donations to the Couch-A-Thon. The biannual alumni newsletter helps generate support.\nBut factors such as the weather and the number of people attending Saturday's football game can affect the amount raised for the shelter. Fans on their way to the Homecoming game are expected to be the biggest financial supporters. \n"The best time to come is 3 a.m," Gasparino said. "That's when the diehards are collecting money"