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SLEEPOUT SHOUTOUT Vinnies CEO Sleepout Ambassador Colin Wheeler is calling on his fellow Gold Coasters to support this worthy cause. WORDS RHONDA OXNAM COLIN WHEELER is a man on a mission. A s t he self- confessed CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of the Gold Coast’s Vinnies CEO Sleepout, he is urging locals to get behind this worthy cause, either by taking part in the actual sleepout or donating funds to support those who are doing so. “I’ve been involved in the Sleepout for many years and I am so proud of the money we have raised and the good we have done in the community,” Colin says. “Since 2015, we’ve raised $2,528,332 and every dollar, apart from the event security and cleaning costs, stays on the Coast.”
Drawing on his business contacts as CEO of Document Solutions Australia Pty Limited, Colin has been able to help grow the annual event into one of the Coast’s biggest single fundraisers. “I know quite a few people at the big end of town and feel very comfortable talking to them knowing that I’m not selling them a photocopier, I’m selling them a sleepout,” he says. “When I’m talking to people about participating in the event, the first thing I am asked in many cases is ‘why should I help? “In reality, 60 per cent of homeless are either victims of domestic violence, they have mental health issues or they are kids under 18 – and none of them choose to live that way. "While you do get the homeless who are violent or involved with drink and drugs, they aren’t necessarily the people that Vinnies help. “Vinnies help the people that lose their jobs or can’t pay their rent and end up living in cars or on the street.” In fact, that was one of Colin’s first experiences with homelessness. “I was walking back to my lovely apartment in Main Beach, and there was a Commodore wagon with the door open at 10 o’clock at night,” he recalls. “As I approached, I saw a mum putting two young children to sleep in the back, then she got in the front and put the seat down for herself.
“I spoke to Wendy Coe who used to run Rosies about it and she said that quite often in domestic violence cases, they grab the kids, they grab the car keys and then they have nowhere else to go but on the streets.” Today, the fastest- growing group of homeless people or about to be homeless, are women over 55, who are divorced or domestic violence victims. Often they don't have any savings or superannuation and, basically, have very little money to live on. This is where the Gold Coast Vinnies CEO Sleepout comes in. "The key for the funds we raise is that it goes directly into housing," Colin explains. “The first money we spent was on a building in Hicks St Southport for the Cornerstone Program, which is the early intervention and prevention of homelessness. “They quickly outgrew the premises, so it was sold and the money was used to convert an existing building at Arundel into six apartments for women over 55, which opened in July 2020.” Another critical project is based in two buildings in Railway St, Southport. “One has been converted into a big Vinnies store, and the other one has become The Hub, which is the first of its kind in Queensland.
Vinnies CEO Sleepout Gold Coast Date: Thursday 23 June 2022 at 5.30 pm Location: CBUS Super Stadium, Centrelink Place, Robina Living on the Gold Coast should be paradise, but for many Queenslanders it’s the opposite. The economic downturn over the last 12 months has seen many people – including young children – sleeping rough for the first time ever. The pandemic has meant more Australians are at risk of homelessness than we’ve seen for a very long time. They need you to lead with empathy and stand up for vulnerable people who don’t otherwise have a voice. Now's your chance to support people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Sign up to your Vinnies CEO Sleepout, start raising money and help bring an end to homelessness in our city. One night of your life will be life-changing for so many. Do you have any questions? Your local event coordinator is happy to help. Phone 07 5665 3303 or email goldcoast@ceosleepout.org.au
ceosleepout.org.au
