BY ADAM KAYE ‘17
David Speelman ‘17 and Nathan Speelman ‘18 have taken action this year, making a positive change through the Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Ministry to the Homeless.
David and Nathan have created a new initiative that directly helps the homeless men and women in Cleveland. Operating through his parish and Saint Ignatius, David and Nathan Speelman have collected flashlights and batteries to distribute to Labre’s friends on the streets.
The Speelmans were inspired to start this initiative because of their experience of going out on Labre one Sunday night. David and Nathan felt called to do something more. David and Nathan have taken that meaning of “magis” above and beyond with this initiative, titled “Let Your Light Shine in Cleveland.”
David said that the thought of this initiative started when he and his brothers felt that “we should give back to the people who didn’t have as much.” The Speelman brothers then started collecting flashlights at their parish, bringing in close to one hundred flashlights.
Their goals were even bigger though, as David and his brothers brought their initiative to Saint Ignatius, where they were able to collect close to one hundred more flashlights. Let Your Light Shine in Cleveland has been a great success, and the Speelmans’ initiative is being felt by the men and women affected by Saint Ignatius’s Labre Ministry.
To this day, the Speelmans and Let Your Light Shine in Cleveland have collected close to two hundred flashlights that have been or will be donated directly to those on the streets of Cleveland who need the help the most. The Speelmans have helped to bring light to those who are often left in the dark today. This great connection between the Speelmans’ initiative and the Labre Ministry to the Homeless will touch hundreds of lives in many ways.
David and Nathan Speelman are a great example of Saint Ignatius students taking initiative and going above and beyond to serve others. David and Nathan Speelman truly are great examples of Ignatius Men for Others.
