The Bridge holding annual 'Sleeping Out' fundraiser

LEAMINGTON — On Friday night, October 2, The Bridge Youth Resource Centre will be the site of the second annual Sleeping Out fundraiser event.

The first event was held in April of 2019, but the COVID pandemic put plans on hold for this year’s event until now.

“Something like this really takes people out of their comfort zones,” said The Bridge general manager Krista Rempel. “It’s just a glimpse of what youth have to go through when they experience homelessness.”

Sleeping Out presents a chance for residents to support programming serving youth struggling with homelessness and other social challenges. Participants will spend the night outdoors at The Bridge, equipped with only the clothes on their backs, sheets of cardboard and sleeping bags.

Their fundraising goal is $100,000 for this event. It helps raise dollars to support necessary programs and services, including the organization’s new Quiring Family Fresh Start housing facility.

Grace Johnson (left) and Gaby Moore prepare a shelter made of cardboard as sleeping accommodations during the first annual Sleeping Out at The Bridge fundraiser on April 26, 2019. The event raised more than $70,000 and was attended by 14 teams and a sum of just over 100 participants. This year’s event happens Friday, October 2.

You can participate as an individual, sponsor someone else, or get a team together to take part in the challenge.

The event begins at 6 pm, with online activities taking place throughout the evening. You’ll get an evening snack and breakfast provided on Saturday morning.

“The Sleeping Out event was a good opportunity to live what some residents in our community face on a daily basis,” said Leamington Mayor Hilda Mac- Donald, who participated in the first event. “It was a very chilly night and the ground was hard. The night was long.”

MacDonald was one of about 100 participants the first time around, which raised well over $70,000.

“Every once in a while, we need to be pulled out of our comfort zones and live what someone else does, even for one night,” she said. “It opens our eyes and our hearts.”

If you’d like to participate or pledge a donation, you can visit www.thebridgeyouth.ca or call The Bridge at 226- 773-3454, extension 301.