The St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) CEO Sleepout has representation from the print industry, with longtime supporters Rodney Frost, CEO Lamson Paragon and Mark Wren, CEO, International Plastic Card Corporation, first time participant Ken William, CEO of Excel Australasia, and Roy Rogers from Flagstaff Group among those who will be spending a night on the street.
The one-night sleepout gives CEOs a taste of what it means to be homeless, with talks given by people who have either lived, or currently live on the streets, while raising money for programs which help feed, and house those living rough.
It is not too late for interested parties to participate and raise money, it is as simple as registering on the Vinnies website: https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/.
For both Frost and Williams homelessness is an issue that is close to heart, with Frost’s father, Arthur Frost, having spent time living on the streets, before being given an opportunity to get a leg up, while Williams did not come from a gilded background, he recounts collecting glass bottles in his youth to help his parents put food on the table.
Homelessness is a serious, widespread issue, which affects some 116,000 Australians, and of that figure, an estimated 43,500 people are under 25. It is not going away either, instead it increased by 14 per cent between the 2011 and 2016 censuses. The ABS data shows that for every 10,000 Australians, 50 are homeless.
Rodney Frost, CEO, Lamson Paragon, says, “My father was homeless as a young man, and through an opportunity, and people giving him a hand up he was able to lift out. He ended up bringing Eftpos to Australia through an opportunity.
“It is about helping people who are less fortunate, and giving them a hand up.
“It is only one night, the people we do it for do it every night. You get a bowl of soup and a bread roll, and listen to some speakers, people that have been going through tough times. It makes you realise how easy it is for people to end up without a roof over their head.
“It is about engaging corporates to taking a more meaningful steps to make a difference.”
This is Frost’s 10th year attending the CEO sleepout, with the veteran attendee also being a part of the early committees, and planning groups.
Ken Williams, CEO, Excel Australasia, says, “I personally feel it is a terrible indictment on our society that we have children sleeping on the streets, and women that are in abusive situations without housing, and that is terrible.
“I came across the CEO sleepout late, but thought about it, and it fits in with the culture of our company, if we can help the homeless, and people less fortunate than us, it is well and good.
“It is a small thing for me to do, but if I or the organisation can help in any way to highlight social injustice we have in these areas and help someone, we must.
“We are blessed as an organisation, and need to give back.
“From a team perspective, companies talk about company culture, but quite frankly most just give lip service. It is not about table tennis and a pool table, which add maybe one per cent. It is about how the company behaves, what the team believes, and the values a company has.
“For new people, we are clear, it is not just about what you do at work, it is what you do out of work, and how you live your life.
“We make a difference in print, technology, location based technology, mobile based technology, and in the lives of people that cannot do things for themselves. Having that as part of the fabric of the organisation is key.”
Mark Wren will be participating in the Brisbane sleep out, the fifth year running he has attended. Wren says, “The Vinnies CEO Sleepout gives an opportunity to business leaders Australia wide to experience first hand what our homeless experience, on our coldest night, whilst raising awareness for this unacceptable social issue.
“This will be our 5th year of participation, allowing us to lead by example.”
You can donate to Rodney Frost’s Sydney sleepout here, Ken Williams’ Melbourne sleepout here, Mark Wren’s Brisbane sleepout here, and Roy Rogers Wollongong sleepout here.
Last year the CEO sleepout raised $5.6m, providing 1.9 million individual support programmes, 689,000 beds for a night, and 1.5 million meals.
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