A chilly 12-degree night with drizzling rain and nothing more than a cardboard box to keep dry and sheltered from the elements. On Thursday 20th June 2019, the longest night of the year, the 2019 Vinnies CEO Sleepout took place and we undertook the challenge of sleeping on the streets to help create awareness and funds for homelessness in Australia.
This year, we had two attendees from the Walker Hill office, Alex Hanley and Nick Hill, take on a challenge that thousands of Australians face each night.
“I didn’t realise that homelessness has increased by 30% in Australia,” Nick noted after the evening’s speeches – designed to highlight the effects of homelessness. “And that women over 50 are now most at risk of ending up on the streets.”
With these sobering thoughts, causes like the CEO Sleepout are fundamental to bringing social issues to the forefront.
Homelessness can often be the result of a string of bad luck, unforeseen circumstances or lack of support. As Nick points out, participating in events like the CEO Sleepout are humbling as they highlight “how privileged I am to have a strong support network around me”.
The CEO Sleepout has gone a long way to raise funds for Vinnies to assist those facing homelessness across the whole of Australia. In our home state of Queensland during 2017-2018, Vinnies helped 331,561 people facing homelessness through the areas below. With this in mind, the Walker Hill & Co. team has currently raised $9,536.42 for this great cause. If you would like to participate, please donate to our page using this link: https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/walkerhillco
