Thank You to our sponsors

Transcription

1 Thank You to our sponsors A huge thank you to all our sponsors for their generous support of the 2013 Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

2 The morning after... Our CEOs woke to a cold Melbourne morning at Etihad Stadium. They shared a breakfast of porridge, juice and good coffee before being officially thanked and farewelled by the Society's State President, Tony Tome. UPDATE Thank you Tony Barber So what did you think... We heard from Simon McKeon, Executive Chairman, Macquarie Group and Australian of the Year What Simon shared with us will stay with me forever. Experiencing the CEO Sleepout once again, I was reminded at how often we take for granted the warmth and comfort of home, but at least I had some security, unlike many Australians experiencing homelessness. I (now know) how important the funds I have raised are for Vinnies to continue to provide real solutions for people experiencing homelessness. No matter how many times I do this, it never gets any easier. For people sleeping rough every night, it must be unbearable. What I do know, is that it s possible to change the situation Thanks for organising such a great event. I did the Melbourne Sleepout for the second year running and found the whole event was brilliantly run and extremely worthwhile. Thank you for including me. I now realise that homelessness can happen to anyone, it only takes a few bad turns in life. Top Fundraisers for 2013 Congratulations and thank you to all our CEOs for rising to the challenge, sleeping out and raising awareness of the issues relating to homelessness in Victoria. Tony Barber, Willis Australasia $17, Neville Moller, Dorevitch Pathology $17, Hatem Saleh, Atlantic Group [v] of Companies $15, Melissa Hamilton, Stellar Asia Pacific $15, Craig Meade, Doquile Perrett Meade $13,175.00

3 St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. Newsletter 264 June 2013 A PUBLICATION FOR SOCIETY MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF More than 160 business and community leaders arrived at Etihad Stadium on Thursday 20 June 2013 ready for a challenging night at the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. After registering and claiming a space with their cardboard, dinner was served from our soup van on the lower concourse where the temperature was already dropping. Soup van volunteers not only served the meals, they also had a chat with participants about their work on the vans and what they see on the streets every night. Participants gathered upstairs for a welcome from our State President Tony Tome and from His Excellency the Honourable Alex Chernov, AC QC, Governor of Victoria. Following this Simon McKeon, former Australian of the Year, delivered the keynote address. The Chairmain of Macquarie Melbourne, Simon reflected on business and philanthropy and told fascinating stories about his own experience which resonated with the audience. After Simon s address there was a panel discussion about homelessness moderated by our MC, ABC TV journalist Jim Middleton. The panel consisted of Simon McKeon, VincentCare CEO John Blewonski, Council to Homeless Persons CEO Jenny Smith, VCOSS Policy and Programs Manager Llewellyn Reynders and Homeless Persons Legal Clinic Manager and Principal Lawyer Chris Povey. After the formalities finished at around 10pm, participants headed back to the lower concourse where their cardboard and sleeping bags lay to take on the night ahead. The roof of the stadium was open and the mercury hit a chilly 3ºC overnight. Participants rose early the next morning and had a breakfast of porridge, juice and coffee before being farewelled by Tony Tome. By 6.30am everyone had headed off to reflect on their previous night's experience and and share it with their colleagues, families, friends and donors. SPECIAL EDITION

4 State President s Update The St Vincent de Paul Society hosted the fourth Vinnies CEO Sleepout in Victoria on Thursday 20 June 2013, a very cold night! In Melbourne this year 160 business and community leaders participated, an 11% increase on last year. At the time of printing, $650,000 had been raised, up from $638,000 last year with more funds still to come before the campaign closes. Nationally, 1,083 people registered and more than $5.4 million has been raised so far. Donations can be made until 31 August through The funds raised from this event will assist the Society s work to tackle the increasing issue of homelessness in our community. The breadth and complexity of the problem is something we hoped to convey to our CEO Sleepout participants on the night and early feedback indicates this was achieved. A big thank you to all those who took part and braved the cold temperature, hard concrete floor and the loud snoring which echoed around Etihad Stadium. I would also like to thank all of our sponsors - without you the event would not have been the success it was. My thanks also to those who worked hard to organise the event including the many enthusiastic staff and volunteers who attended on the night from Sputnik Agency, our soup van service, Vinnies Youth and the team from Casamento Photography. Please put next year s event date, Thursday 19 June 2014, in your diary and we hope to see you there again! Tony Tome State President

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6 Credit: Augusto Jacquier