Thursday 17th June was the night our CEO Ryan Dunn participated in the 2021 Vinnies CEO Sleepout!

Ryan, with Vinnies Australia, raised money to provide people experiencing homelessness, and people at risk of homelessness, with vital access to food and accommodation. Vinnies also provide education, counselling, employment and health services to help people overcome poverty in the long term. One night isn’t a lot for most of us to have to sleep rough…but it’s the small things that can make a whole lot of difference.

Ryan recounts his experience…

“Indeed, I found a renewed love of my (old and probably in need of replacement) bed after the sleepout. I spent much of Saturday and Sunday catching up on sleep. I was so grateful for my squishy mattress and warm blankets.

It truly was an unpleasant yet invaluable experience. Uncomfortable, too many lights about and very cold…from about 1am onwards I couldn’t sleep. And I couldn’t zip up my sleeping bag properly !! 

The best part of it all was the Rosie’s (friends on the street) volunteers. They were so friendly and genuine and I was so impressed that I emailed their CEO the day after the event to tell her as much. They even had a couple of year 11 students from Lismore volunteering. 

Ryan successfully raised over $1000 for Vinnies with the support of family and friends and work colleagues at Pathways.

You can donate the Vinnies CEO Sleepout at any time – or sign up a CEO to participate next year!

Everyone deserves a safe place to call home and Pathways is committed to helping our clients find the right place to live – to help them gain independence and live their best life with quality, caring Supported Independent Living services.