Managing Partner Chis Ward spends a night on the streets to aid the homeless

Cooper Grace Ward’s Managing Partner, Chris Ward, will be spending a cold winter’s night on the streets of Brisbane this month when he participates in the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout on 21 June.

The event, which is run by the St Vincent de Paul Society, aims to raise awareness of, and funding for, homeless services across Australia by giving senior businesspeople across the country a chance to experience first-hand what it feels like to be homeless.

Chris is one of more than 140 senior business leaders throughout Queensland who have signed on to this year’s event, and he says he is more than happy to spend a night on the streets to contribute to the worthy fundraiser.

’For many of us, having a roof over our heads is something we take for granted, but unfortunately, there are many people out there who aren’t so lucky,’ Chris says.

‘I think the Vinnies CEO Sleepout is a fantastic initiative and it’s a great way for Cooper Grace Ward to help raise the profile of homelessness and also raise some much needed funds for the cause,’ Chris says.

More than 100,000 Australians were counted as homeless in the last Census (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006), with around a quarter of this number being children aged under 18 years.

Last year, the Vinnies CEO Sleepout raised $4.2 million nationally and saw approximately 1,000 CEOs and senior businesspeople participate.

All money raised through the sponsorship of participants goes directly towards assisting Vinnies deliver ongoing homeless services across the country.

This funding is critical given that demand for homeless services greatly outweighs available resources in many areas.

To find out more, visit the Vinnies CEO Sleepout website.

To make a donation to Chris Ward, or to see how much money he has raised so far, you can visit his profile on the Vinnies CEO Sleepout website.