Executives sleep outside to face cold reality of homelessness

Seventy-four of Toronto’s top business and community leaders spent a chilly, damp night sleeping on the pavement to raise more than $700,000 for homeless kids at Covenant House, Nov. 21.

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Participants in the second annual Covenant House Executive Sleep Out bedded down with only a sleeping bag and piece of cardboard. Those hunkering down for the night included event co-chairs Tim Leiweke, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President and CEO, and venture capitalist Arlene Dickinson, one of the stars of CBC series Dragons’ Den.

Joining them were Starbucks’ President Annie Young-Scrivner, Porter Airlines’ President Robert Deluce, Sleep Country Canada Co-founder and President, Christine Magee, Patrick Nangle, Purolator President and CEO, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, Duncan Hannay, Senior Marketing VP at Scotiabank, and Kevin Patterson, CIBC Executive VP, Technology and Operations.

Pictured left: Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President and CEO Tim Leiweke, enture capitalist and star of CBC’s Dragons’ Den Arlene Dickinson, and Bruce Rivers, Covenant House Executive Director.

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Covenant House provides 24/7 crisis shelter and a longer-term residential program along with comprehensive services, including education, counselling, health care, employment assistance and job training to about 3,000 youth annually. To do all this, the agency relies on donors for 80 percent of its $20-million annual operating budget.

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Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.