There are more than 100,000 Australians who find themselves homeless each night of the year. Just under half of these are women and one quarter are under the age of 18.
To help raise awareness and funds for this issue, Questacon’s Director, Professor Graham Durant, will participate in this year’s Vinnies CEO Sleepout on Thursday 19 June.
The Vinnies CEO Sleepout is a national initiative whereby CEOs spend a night sleeping outdoors across Australia, encouraging business leaders to help raise awareness and funds for Vinnies by experiencing the discomfort of sleeping on the streets for a night.
"This is a very important issue for the entire community. I am happy to undergo one night's discomfort to help draw attention to the plight of those who suffer many nights of discomfort. There are too many homeless people in Canberra and across Australia", said Professor Durant.
Since 2006 the Vinnies CEO Sleepout has helped people to break the cycle of homelessness by providing a range of education programs and assistance in a safe and supportive environment.
Last year the 2013 CEO Sleepout was held in the heart of Canberra’s CBD in Civic Square. The group of CEOs braved the cold and slept through freezing temperatures of minus five degrees, raising over $489,000 to help break the cycle of homelessness in our community.
This year the 2014 CEO Sleepout will mark the 5th Sleepout in Canberra and the event will be held at the National Film and Sound Archive in Acton. To date, over 70 ACT CEOs have registered to participate.
For further information, visit the Vinnies CEO Sleepout website.
