5 Days for The Homeless was founded as a local initiative by University of Alberta School of Business students. After running successfully for a number of years, 5Days expanded nationally in 2008 - adopted by the vast majority of business schools across the country. To date, the campaign has raised over $1,212,000 for local charitable organizations, specified by each university.
From March 8 – 13 business students nationwide will come together to forgo basic amenities for five days, living and sleeping outside, in an effort to bring attention to Canada’s homeless youth community. These brave individuals spend 5 nights sleeping outside, from Sunday March 8th at 5:00 pm to Friday March 13th at 5:00 pm. All sleepers are required to adopt the campaign for the entire 5 days as full-time sleepers, or the dates to which they will be outside as “part-time sleepers” only a few days outside as opposed to all five.
This year we are pleased to have 3 full time sleepers and 6 part-timers, the sleepers are located on the Morriset Terrace behind the library.
- Omid Barahimi, Full-time sleeper
- Steven Strahman, Full-time sleeper
- Breanna La Plante, Full-time sleeper
- Kayla Coulter, Part-time sleeper
- Sara Valentino, Part-time sleeper
- Maria Caldwell, Part-time sleeper
- Gabriel Copps, Part-time sleeper
- Kim Angèle Vallières, Part-time sleeper
- Cara Parisien, Part-time sleeper
All proceeds raised by Telfer will be donated to Operation Come Home Ottawa, a leading support centre for homeless and at-risk youth.
In an effort to raise funds in a unique and innovative way, CeTSC's campaign has introduce another fundraising initiative; “The Kindness Kits”. While all monetary donations will be passed along to Operation Come Home, we also recognize that there are students in Telfer who may not have access to basic necessities either.
This can sometimes be a challenging concept to grasp, however despite the help of grants, scholarships, and loans some of our students are swimming in debt, "coach surfing" due to the inability to pay rent or buy groceries. We believe every student should be equipped with the right tools to be successful in all aspect of their lives - with this in mind; we have created a collection of “Kindness Kits,” bags with basic necessities ranging from personal hygiene and healthy snacks to school supplies and gift cards. Qualified students will then be able to confidently request a bag as needed, no judgement passed or questions asked.
Please come out, donate and be generous!
5 Days for the Homeless Video.
