VINNIES CEO SLEEP-OUT by Joseph Law
LAST YEAR, I JOINED more than 1000 business leaders across Australia to sleep-out rough on one night. Collectively in Australia, $4.2 million was raised, and the money was be used to provide food and related expenses for local homeless shelters. Many leaders participated, including the CEOs from Commonwealth Bank, Virgin and News Limited, and even political leaders such as Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott. I have been travelling quite extensive
recently to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Beijing and was doubtful of whether I would be ready for the sleep-out this year. A recent incident reignited my passion for this wonderful cause. It was a humbling experience, and one I won’t soon forget. Last Thursday, while walking to work in
the morning, I saw a homeless man kneeling down on the street begging for money. After I finished work in the evening, he was still there. I gave him some money and had the opportunity to talk with him. His name is Malley. He said that he has no home, income, identification, or even shoes. What touched me was that he just wanted
to be like everyone else. I told him that it is possible and that life involves a series of choices we make every day. Fundamentally, as human beings, we are no different from each other. A few days later, I bought him some clothing and a pair of shoes. He was deeply touched and starting crying. I guess
more than the everyday necessities, what he needed was a dose of confidence and his dignity restored as a human being. After all, aren’t we all entitled to happiness and a sense of security and well-being? There are 100,000 homeless people in
Australia today, many of whom became homeless through no fault of their own. This number includes women and children and represents people from all walks of life. What drove many of them to homelessness was not lack of finances, but quite often mental illness and abuse by someone in their family. One of the speakers from last year’s event
said something that really made an impact on me: many of them are homeless simply because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time in their lives. Most of the CEOs at the sleep-out who made their way to the top of their field, in addition to their enormous talent, were lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time. There are no guarantees in life, and this experience was a powerful lesson in humility. It also gave us a genuine sense of appreciation for what we already have. We are all human beings, intrinsically, and we are no better or worse than any another person. On 21st June, I will rise to the challenge
and experience what it is like to be homeless for one night in winter and raise money for St Vincent de Paul Society. Please kindly support me at
http://www.ceosleepout.org.au/ ceos/nsw-ceos/profile/?ceo=390
06 june 2012
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