Trevor Ferrell (born 1972) is an American citizen who, as a young teenager, caught the public's eye for his efforts to assist homeless people.[1] He started Trevor’s Campaign for the Homeless in 1983, when he was 11 years old.[2] On December 8, 1983, he watched a news program on street people. This prompted him to ask his parents, Frank and Janet Ferrell, how he could help. They drove their son into Philadelphia that night to give bedding to a homeless man who was sleeping on the sidewalk in front of the Union League in Center City.[3] He and his parents later established a homeless shelter, Trevor's Place.[4] His parents also authored a book, also called Trevor's Place, to further describe the actions thus accomplished, with a plea for further action. It was published in 1985.[5]

Trevor Farrell's work was recognized by President Ronald Reagan in the President's 1986 State of the Union address.[6][7] A TV movie dramatizing the shelter's activities, titled Christmas on Division Street, aired in 1991. It featured actor Fred Savage as Trevor.[8] A 1994 episode of the series Lifestories: Families in Crisis, titled Brotherly Love: The Trevor Ferrell Story, also described his efforts.[9]

He attended Linden Hill School in Northfield, Massachusetts.[10]

When Ferrell was 18, the family discontinued its efforts in the campaign. Ferrell currently works for the United Parcel Service and runs a thrift shop on Lancaster Avenue in Philadelphia.[3]

In 1985, Ferrell received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Plummer, William (March 26, 1984). "Philadelphia's Street People Have Found a Ministering Angel in Tiny Trevor Ferrell". People. 21 (12).
  2. ↑ "Our History". Trevor’s Campaign for the Homeless. May 22, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Gerth, Rob (December 4–10, 2003). "Trevor's All Grown Up". Philadelphia citypaper. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  4. ↑ Metzler, Barbara R. (2006). "Trevor Ferrell, Trevor's Campaign". Passionaries: Turning Compassion Into Action. Templeton Foundation Press. pp. 54. ISBN 978-1-59947-105-1. Trevor Ferrell+Trevor's Place.
  5. ↑ Ferrell, Frank; Janet Ferrell; Edward Wakin (1985). Trevor's Place: The Story of the Boy Who Brings Hope to the Homeless. San Francisco: Harper & Row. pp. 138. ISBN 0-06-062531-7. OCLC 84048768.
  6. ↑ Landau, Elaine (1991). Dyslexia. Franklin Watts. pp. 43, 45. ISBN 0-531-20030-2.
  7. ↑ Leung, Rebecca (June 11, 2004). "American Heroes: Two Young Americans Recall Life-Changing Moments With President Reagan". 48 Hours. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Christmas on Division Street". IMDb. December 15, 1991.
  9. ↑ "Brotherly Love: The Trevor Ferrell Story". IMDb. March 31, 1994.
  10. ↑ DeVoss, David (January 28, 1998). "About those heroes: Reagan's nods pay off for some, play out for others". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ "National Winners | public service awards | Jefferson Awards.org". www.jeffersonawards.org. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010.
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