Hospital CEO Sleeps Out in Support of Homelessness
Friday, 4 June 2010
Chief Executive Officer of Mitcham Private and Waverley Private Hospital, Ms Linda Edgerton, will be sleeping out in support of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout to be held on Thursday 17 June 2010 at Melbourne’s inaugural event at Etihad Stadium. The event challenges business and community leaders to experience homelessness first-hand for one night to gain insight and change social opinions on this serious issue.
Over 100,000 Australians are homeless and over 34,000 of these are children according to official numbers but this could be much higher. This event will raise important funds for the ongoing provision of St Vincent de Paul Society's homeless services, the demand for which is increasing.
According to the St Vincent De Paul Society, over 105,000 Australians sleep out each night. Of those, 34,000 are children. In Victoria, more than 23,000 people homeless on any given night.
Ms Linda Edgerton says she was drawn to the challenge and felt it was important to become involved.“I think that this will be a profound, confronting and enlightening experience and the discomfort of sleeping out is a fragment of what is a larger reality for many people in our local community. We can all give homeless people the knowledge and resources to make different life choices. It is a task that is up to us all”
St Vincent de Paul Society Victorian president, Tony Tome said the event will raise much needed funds for those in need. “Fifty four per cent of Australian homeless people in need of supported accommodation are turned away and in a time of rising unemployment and economic uncertainty, the emerging face of homelessness is families – young families, two-parent families and families with no history of domestic violence. We want to raise awareness of homelessness by giving our community’s influential leaders the chance to experience a glimpse of life on the streets.”
You can donate by visiting http://www.ceosleepout.org.au and searching for Linda by typing "Edgerton" and selecting "Melbourne" or you can donate by cheque or money order to 'St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.' and send to:
Vinnies CEO Sleepout
Locked Bag 4800
BOX HILL VIC 3128 (Please ensure you include details of which CEO the donation is to sponsor)
What your support will do:
- $50 will provide a nutritious meal and educational resources for a disadvantaged child.
- $100 will provide accommodation, a hot meal and fresh clothes for a homeless person.
- $500 will provide another week at home for a family facing eviction.
- $1,000 will help a domestic violence survivor and their children to make a new start.
For media enquiries, photo opportunities and interview requests please contact:
Anne Moutsos
moutsosa@ramsayhealth.com.au
0420895910
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