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Russell Alexander Joins The Covenant House Sleep Out: Executive Edition

sleep out

Russell Alexander Joins The Covenant House Sleep Out: Executive Edition

Russell Alexander has been invited to be among Toronto’s business and community leaders as they sleep out on the night of Nov. 21st to help homeless kids at Covenant House Toronto.

Led by returning Co-chair, Arlene Dickinson of Dragons’ Den and Tim Leiweke, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment President and Chief Executive Officer, the 2nd annual Covenant House Sleep Out: Executive Edition will see participants spend the night outside with only sleeping bags and a piece of cardboard to raise awareness and funds for the downtown agency.

This year’s goal is to raise $1 million in one night. Last year’s inaugural event drew over 50 participants and raised more than $538,000.

Tom Anselmi, Tony Chapman, Ben Mulroney, Diane Brisebois, Jenne Beker, Starbucks’ President Annie Young-Scrivner, Porter Airlines’ President Robert Deluce, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and Duncan Hannay, Senior Marketing VP at Scotiabank, will be among the expected 80 participants getting a small glimpse of the hardships kids can face on the street.

Russell is participating because sleep out is a great opportunity to experience how many youth live day-to-day.  People often don’t think of homeless youth when it comes to charity work and donations.  For many middle class and upper class Canadians homeless youth is just not a problem on their radar.  Sleep out provides a unique opportunity for executives to walk the talk, experience what many children should never have to experience, and help raise awareness for a serious problem that unfortunately plagues many Canadian families and their children.

Bruce Rivers, Executive Director of Covenant House Toronto, the country’s largest homeless youth agency, says there are at least 10,000 homeless youth in Toronto during any given year.

“When kids don’t have to worry about where they’re going to sleep or where their next meal is coming from, they can focus on their futures,” says Rivers.

Covenant House provides 24/7 crisis shelter and a longer-term residential program with the widest range of services under one roof, including education, counselling, employment assistance and job training. To do all this, the agency relies on donors for 80 percent of its $20-million budget. Last year, Covenant House served about 3,000 young people.

Russell Alexander, Family Lawyers focus is exclusively family law, offering pre-separation legal advice and assisting clients with family related issues including: custody and access, separation agreements, child and spousal support, division of family property, paternity disputes, and enforcement of court orders. For more information, visit us at www.RussellAlexander.com

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About the author

Russell Alexander

Russell Alexander is the Founder & Senior Partner of Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers.