Canberra’s cold temperatures did not favour Merici College Year 10, 11 and 12 students and teachers who rose to the challenge on Thursday 28 June for the annual Student Vinnies Sleepout.
The group slept outdoors in the New Quad to raise funds for Canberra’s homeless with the aim of promoting awareness within our Merici community of the issue of homelessness and for the students to experience a small part of the reality of homelessness.
Staff and students participated in “sleeping rough” on cardboard but with the luxury of sleeping bags and warm clothes. This highlighted some of the challenges the homeless deal with every day, such as lack of showers and nourishing food. The night was a bonding experience that helped promote empathy for the cause.
The girls were fantastic and together donated over $1000 to Vinnies! Along with an interactive presentation, one of the Vinnies night patrol vans dropped by and volunteers shared firsthand some powerful stories about the issue of homelessness in our local community.
We would also like to thank all students and staff for supporting this most worthwhile initiative and would like to express heartfelt gratitude to St Vincent de Paul for the invaluable contribution they make to our community.
