Fundraising

Canada's First CEO Sleepout

Spearheaded Canada’s first CEO Sleepout in 2011, which has since recruited and mobilized over 500 leaders from the public and private sector to help bring attention and awareness to the issue of homelessness in our city. Over $800,000 has been raised, helping to employ 137 people experiencing homelessness for more than 51,000 hours of employment — with many of these individuals returning to school or finding permanent full-time work. This event also ignited a desire from the private and public sector to work together towards the creation of a long-term strategy to end homelessness through the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council’s (WPRC) Task Force to End Homelessness, co-chaired by SEED Winnipeg’s Cindy Coker and RBC’s Rob Johnston, who have taken part in the CEO Sleepout annually since the event’s inception. In late 2014, the CEO Sleepout was acknowledged by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) for its work in raising the corporate community’s awareness about homelessness and the importance of private and public sector collaboration to end it, beating finalists like Delta Vancouver Suites (Vancouver, BC) and Eaton Chelsea (Toronto, ON). Partnerships with the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, Coldest Night of the Year, and 5 Days for the Homeless, demonstrate the CEO Sleepout’s collaboration and integration with sectors and agencies working towards addressing homelessness.