DURHAM, NC-
“On any given night there are 2,000 homeless people in the Triangle,” according to the United Way of the Greater Triangle.
Local business owners, community leaders, and non-profit organizers gathered last night in Downtown Durham to raise awareness about homelessness in the second annual ‘CEO SleepOut’ hosted by United Way. 36 participating CEOs slept on the lawn in front of the Durham Performing Arts Center equipped with pieces of cardboard, blankets, and small pillows. These items were given according to a certain amount of donations that were raised before the event.
If a CEO reached $500 in donations, they received a blanket for the night and a homeless family will be provided one week of shelter. If the goal of $1,000 was reached, CEOs would receive a sleeping bag and help would be given to youth in the foster care program SaySo. The United Way raised about $35,000 through last night’s event.
The mantra for the evening was ‘Making the Invisible Issues Visible’ as leaders engaged in discussions about homelessness, poverty and workforce development.
Participants were encouraged to be active on social media throughout the evening with the hashtag #CEOSleepOut. Check out some of the tweets below:
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