On June 21st, I participated in my second CEO Sleepout for St Vinnie’s. This year the event was held at Adelaide Oval, and the weather was certainly true to Winter – cold and very wet.
Given that the event is about experiencing what it is like to sleep ‘rough’ – we were allowed to bring our own sleeping bag and pillow, however the only other provision we were offered was cardboard to either sleep on or make a shelter from.
Sleeping in and under the Western/Members grandstands of the Oval, we managed to survive the wind and the rain, but it certainly makes you appreciate how hard it must be for homeless people who have to survive in those conditions each and every night. It also shows just how vitally important the work is that groups like St Vincent de Paul do.
I chose to participate in the CEO Sleepout because a number of the statistics on the website struck a chord with me:
“33% of people experiencing homelessness are children and young people. That’s more than 34,000 kids without a place they can call home.”
With 2 small children of my own, I find it hard to imagine how these people struggle every day. So it was inspiring to see over a hundred other influential leaders of business in South Australia turn out for such a deserving cause.
A big thank you to Fred’s Van for the excellent feed you put on for us – the soup was amazing and very warming! And a shout out to the great blokes who turned up in the morning to give us coffee as well. It definitely helped me to get through the next day at work!
I’ll definitely be participating in next year’s event, as I think the time for reflection it provides is invaluable in helping you to experience the reality that faces millions of Australians every night.
I’m still a little bit short of my desired target, so if anyone would like to donate – that would be great!
DONATE TO DANIEL WILSON – CEO SLEEPOUT 2012
And to those of you who have already donated – a big thank you!
Our friends over at Mackbel Films also put together a highlights clip from the night which is worth a watch: CEO Sleepout 2012 – Highlights