Very Kind Teens Volunteer To Be Pallbearers For Homeless Vets Volunteer Pallbearers

As part of a unique volunteer program, teens at a Detroit area high school are paying their respects to local veterans by serving as pallbearers for those who might not otherwise receive a proper funeral.

If the family of a military veteran cannot be located for 90 days after their death, the Dignity Memorial Network's Homeless Veterans Program provides them with a casket, according to funeral home director John Desmond. However, there are usually no pallbearers to carry them — until now.

The all-boys pairs with local funeral homes like Desmond's to coordinate efforts for these fallen military members. The first funerals involving the teens were held earlier this month after more than 50 students participated in a training program, led by faculty member Todd Wilson.

"[The students] believe that, through being a pallbearer at the funerals of veterans, the homeless, the socially poor and others, they are ... offering a final tribute to a person's life journey," .

The students' moving acts of kindness have caused more participants to sign up for the program's next training session in November. Nick Bendetto, 17, volunteered at the funerals this month and is preparing to serve as a pallbearer again in the coming weeks.

"I know that these people had loved ones and, whether or not these loved ones could be there to say goodbye, it does not change the fact that everyone deserves a proper burial," he said.

[via