But the sleeping was done outside on a chilly Australian night! One thousand Australian corporate leaders spent the night out in the cold and raised almost $4 million for the homeless in the annual St Vinnies CEO Sleepout. The business leaders were given a sleeping bag, beanie and two sheets of cardboard, plus a cup of soup and bread for dinner.
The number of CEOs participating this year jumped to 1001 at locations across Australia, from 684 at last year’s sleepout, and they raised $3.8 million, compared to $2.6 million last year.
“We’ve broken every record this year, in the face of economic gloom and all sorts of natural disasters,” St Vincent de Paul Society general manager of marketing and media Carol Taylor said.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott joined 260 CEOs at Sydney’s Luna Park overnight and said the experience helped them better understand the plight of people who did this everyday. In Melbourne, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd joined corporate leaders at Etihad Stadium.
Tags: Australia, Homelessness, poverty, sleepout, strategies, SVDP
