CEO sleep out raises awareness for homelessness

An organization in North Carolina is shining light on poverty in a new way.

United Way Triangle, a non-profit organization based in Durham, recently hosted a “sleep out” in which high ranking executives of various corporations were asked to be homeless for a night. The event, coined “CEO Sleep out,” inspired more than 60 community leaders in North Carolina to take to the streets to raise awareness on poverty. In total, the event raised more than $30,000, which will go to various shelters and organizations throughout North Carolina.

“The goal was to bring together community leaders who would help bring attention to the poverty issue in the state,” said Jennifer Bosk, senior vice president of marketing and communications at United Way Triangle. “It was wonder see high level leaders engaged with this often overlooked issue.”

Bosk and her marketing team were responsible for organizing the “sleep out” which asked CEO’s to raise money through pledges that would correspond to their sleeping arrangements. The participants were given three options— to sleep on a single sheet of cardboard, an cardboard box or a sleeping bag. Forty-seven CEOs and communities leaders and 13 non-profit leaders participated in the event.

According United Way Triangle’s homepage, more than 200,000 people are currently homeless in the triangle area.

There are 829 homeless students in the public school system of Durham, and this number continues to rise, noted Eric Becoats, superintendent of Durham public schools on the United Way Triangle website.

Matt Williamson, CEO and co-founder of the Windsor Circle and participant in this month’s sleepout, has worked as a volunteer for poverty issues for over 20 years.

“In all of my time leading efforts to alleviate the condition of poverty, housing and homelessness, I’ve found that awareness of the issue is one of the key drivers of success in addressing the situation,” he said in an interview with the United Way Triangle.