Covenant House Sleep Out

For one night this November I will be sleeping outside in downtown Vancouver so that 54 youth don’t have to.

The annual Covenant Sleep Out will take place Thursday, November 21, 2013 and will involve executives, public figures and well-connected leaders in our community who will sleep outside for one night in solidarity with those youth who may face many more cold, lonely nights until they find their way through Covenant House’s doors.

From Anchorage to New York, Toronto to New Orleans and in other major cities across North America, participants will raise funds from their companies, colleagues, friends and family to support the life-changing work that is being done to help young people leave the streets and begin new lives. These leaders will draw the attention of the larger business community and our nation to the problem of homelessness among young people.

Many of us come face to face with homelessness every day in Metro Vancouver. Homelessness can look like a young person sleeping in a doorway, other times it might be someone asking you to spare some change. Often it shows itself as a shared glance from a broken soul. Regardless of how we are reminded of the need, a common feeling often resonates: what can I do to help make this better? Here is your chance to make a difference—from the frontlines!

Covenant House invited me to take part and I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. Ever since I began my blog, I have used it to promote local causes, non-profits, and campaigns by whatever means I could. Whether it was through a blog post, an event listing, or a grand campaign like Blogathon or Twestival. The least I could do this season is to spend one night outside, so that someone else doesn’t have to.

Covenant House’s Mission: “Providing love and hope to Vancouver’s street youth. We help youth aged 16 – 24 who have fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse, those who have been forced from their homes or those who have aged out of foster care.”

If you would like to support my Covenant House Sleep Out campaign, please consider an online donation through my personal fundraising page. From now until the end of October, each donation I receive will be doubled by an anonymous donor. The amount will be added to the overall event total at the beginning of November.

Thank you for your support! Follow Covenant House on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about their work in Vancouver.