Yokogawa Australia managing director, John Hewitt, will be taking part in the ‘CEO Sleepout’ — an annual event where CEOs ‘rough it’ overnight in Sydney to raise money for the St Vincent de Paul Society.
Hewitt will be required to sleep on a sheet of carboard in the forecourt of Sydney’s Luna Park — rain, hail or shone — to have the kind of experience that tens of thousands of men, women and children go through every night, says Yokogawa.
The CEO Sleepout, now in its fourth year, is a fun-raising initiative of the St Vincent de Paul Society with money raised through sponsorship of CEOs participating in the event. All money raised will go directly towards providing relief for the homeless through crisis accommodation, domestic violence support, access to budget councelling, legal advise and education.
“In a society as affluent as ours, it’s a tragedy that there are so many homeless — the statistics listed on the CEO Sleepout website (www.ceosleepout.org.au) are quite harrowing. We think we’re going through a challenging period in our industry right now, but at least we’ve all got homes to go to, food on the table, and friends and family to support us,” said Hewitt.
“My objective in participating in the CEO Sleepout is to provide a focus for Yokogawa employees, customers and suppliers to help those less fortunate.”
Hewitt will be sleeping with a group of CEOs which so far includes Dick Smith, airfax Media CEO Brian McCarthy, and the NRMA’s Tony Stuart.
Yokogawa is calling for sponsorship of the cause by donating either of the following:
A $50 sponsorship will provide bedding, a meal and a fresh change of clothes for a homeless person staying at a St Vincent de Paul Society hostel or refuge.
A $100 sponsorship will help equip the Vinnies Night Patrol vans with the food, warmth and friendship they bring to homeless people across our cities every night of the year.
A $500 sponsorship will enable a homeless person to complete a lifeskills course, preparing them to re-enter the community and make a contribution to society.
A $1,000 sponsorship will enable a survivor of domestic violence and her children to make the supported transition from a St Vincent de Paul Society refuge into independent housing.
Sponsorships can be made:
• by credit card: click on the link: www.ceosleepout.org.au/donate Type ‘Hewitt’ in the search box to be taken to John’s sponsorship page. All major credit cards are accepted and a receipt can be provided so that the donation can be claimed as a tax deduction.
• by cheque: send a cheque made payable to ‘St Vincent de Paul Society CEO Sleepout’ to
CEO Sleepout — Sponsorship of John Hewitt,
St Vincent de Paul Society,
PO Box 19,
Petersham, NSW 2049