A group of people from Atlanta, Ga., with a love for singing has been invited to perform at the White House. The choir members also have another thing in common – they’re all homeless.
Homeward Choir is a 19-person group who all live on the streets. And for a few hours a day, they are able to forget their personal problems by being on stage and feeling “normal.”
“It became coming in from out of the cold, to coming in with your brothers,” Donal Noonan, the Atlanta Homeward Choir executive director, told CBS News.
One of the members, Marvin Koine, said he remembers his first concert three years ago.
“I had to turn around,” Koine said to CBS. “I was crying.”
Koine has been homeless for four years and said the first night on the street was terrifying.
“I spent the night under a bridge. It was one of the scariest things ever.”
But singing on stage gives Koine the opportunity to forget the scary nights on the streets.
“You feel like you’re part of society again, not an outcast but like you really do belong,” Koine told CBS.
Now, the Homeward Choir will sing at the White House for Christmas, an invitation given to the group by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Koine is happy he’s a part of the group and says it’s a haven for him.
According to CBS, the Homeward Choir is now a non-profit organization and the proceeds will go to providing services for the homeless.
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