CEO Sleep Out helps the homeless

The CEO Sleep Out was established from the Vinnies CEO Sleep Out in Sydney, Australia in 2006 by businessman and philanthropist Bernard Fehon. The initiative involves CEOs and executives in big companies spending an evening sleeping in the street to gain first-hand experience of the lives of the impoverished and homeless while raising funds for those in need.

The launch was attended by numerous sponsors, participants and media who expressed their enthusiasm in the South African leg of the initiative which will take place on 18 June in Sandton, which is expected to be the coldest day of the year.

Lee Loynes, CEO of primary beneficiary Girls and Boys Town said, “We thought the concept was brilliant. Simply because it allows the opportunity for people who live fairly privileged lives to have a little moment of understanding what it must be like to be a much more disadvantaged person.”

Chairperson of the CEO Sleep Out, Tish Stewart said the initiative is not only a great way to raise funds for the impoverished, but will also raise awareness and help develop empathy for homeless people.

The event was accompanied by a presentation hosted by Talk Radio 702 presenter Bruce Whitfield who embraced the ideals of the initiative. In a conversation with Roger Jardine, Group CEO of Primedia, he said the CEO Sleep Out initiative was not just a press stunt for companies, but an effective and sustainable intervention to combat poverty in South Africa.

The initiative also received great praise from the City of Johannesburg, with representative and Minister of Health and Social Development Nonceba Molwele commending the efforts of Sun International and Primedia Broadcasting on behalf of the City.

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Watch Talk Radio 702 presenter Bruce Whitfield in conversation with founder of the CEO Sleep Out, Bernard Fehon: