See you on the street tonight

The day has arrived.

While you’re all tucked in your comfy beds tonight, I’ll be joining ScotiaBank’s Duncan Hanney, Andrew Lapham from Onex, Access Storage President Steven Scott, Commander Tim O’Leary – CO of HMCS York of the Royal Canadian Navy, Police Chief Bill Blair, and a host of others as we sleep on cardboard in the alley beside Toronto’s Covenant House shelter.

The fundraising went better than anyone expected in this first-ever local version of the initiative. As of yesterday, the group had raised $446,000, which is almost 2x the original goal (see prior post “Sleeping out for Covenant House on November 15th” Nov. 5-12).

A personal thanks to all of those who helped me break the $15k mark. And there’s still time to support the campaign if you feel so inclined.

I’m told we shouldn’t be nervous. The forcast has the temperature dropping below freezing, which is one thing if you are jetting down a ski hill…. But that’s the wonderous thing about the event; it isn’t supposed to be fun. There will be no band nor flowing cocktails at this downtown fundraiser.

I’m sure it’ll be a life event, having the rare opportunity to hear the shelter users’ stories first hand. And see what it’s like to live something other than “the dream”, if only for a night.

MRM