In the depths of winter, Canberra CEOs will be sleeping out again to raise $480,000 to help St Vincent de Paul assist the homeless in the Canberra and Goulburn areas.
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Participants this year include Australian War Memorial director Dr Brendan Nelson, ACT Chief Police Officer Justine Saunders and Australian Transport Safety Bureau CEO Greg Hood.
An expected 150 of the region’s business and community leaders will brave the cold at the National Museum of Australia on June 21.
National Museum of Australia director Dr Mathew Trinca will participate in the sleepout fundraiser
and said the museum was proud to host this year’s event.
“In a nation as affluent as Australia it’s important to provide time for people who need a hand,” he said.
St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn CEO, Barnie van Wyk, says the funds were necessary
to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty, homelessness and disadvantage.
“If you’re a young person growing up with lack of stable housing, it is extremely difficult to concentrate
in school and if you’re constantly moving from one place to the next, it undermines your self-esteem
and can create stigmas that can stay with you throughout your life,” he said.
“For CEOs to sleep out one night in the Canberra cold, it can give them some practical insight into
how hard it can be to hold a job, continue study or keep a family together.”
Other CEOs participating include ACT Supreme Court Justice John Burns, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson, Catholic Health Australia CEO Suzanne Greenwood, Australian College of Nursing CEO Professor Kylie Ward and Professor Michael Frater, rector of UNSW Canberra at ADFA.
