TORONTO — Seventy of Toronto’s business and community leaders slept on the street last month and raised $1.1 million in one night to support homeless youth who depend on Covenant House Toronto.
PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto) vice-president and district manager Bruce Sonnenberg was among the participants in the sixth annual Covenant House Toronto Sleep Out: Executive Edition, which included prominent leaders in the construction, real estate development, investment and commercial sectors.
Those who took part spent the night outside with only a sleeping bag and piece of cardboard to raise awareness and much-needed funds for the agency, while getting a small glimpse of the hardships that kids can face on the street, states a release issued by PCL.
“Coincidentally, we took up residence for the night close to Gerrard and Church Street, directly across from the Ryerson Centre for Urban Innovation, a project currently under construction by PCL,” Sonnenberg said in a statement.
“I have spent some late nights working at construction sites in my day, but the stark contrast in looking up at a PCL site from the ground in the middle of the night was a defining moment for me.”
The night marked Sonnenberg’s fourth time sleeping on street in support of Covenant House Toronto. Raising $45,005, Sonnenberg was the third top fundraiser among the group who collectively beat their $1 million fundraising goal, which brings the total amount raised at all six events to over $6 million.
Bruce Rivers, Covenant House Toronto executive director, said that as many as 250 young people depend on the agency’s support every day.
“We are most grateful to the business community for such generous support of this life-changing experience,” Rivers said. “Our goal is to help shine a light on the plight of homeless youth and raise funds to help us give our kids the support they need to build better futures.”
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