Uplifting communities: Prison-to-College Pipeline, Homeless Talk & Gift of the Givers to benefit from 2018 SleepOut

CEO SleepOut™ media release:

Beneficiaries of The SleepOut™ Movement Events are selected for their tireless work within the 5 pillars required to alleviate homelessness and integrate vulnerable communities back into society, viz. Shelter; Healthcare; Nutrition; Education; and Community Upliftment. In the past 36 months these Secondary Beneficiaries have received in excess of R3 561 298 – a direct contribution to the upliftment of the community.

Taking place during July this year The 2018 SleepOut™ Movement Events embody two Special Chapters, The Nelson Mandela CEO SleepOut™ – Liliesleaf Edition on the 11th July and The Nelson Mandela Legacy SleepOut™ – Robben Island Edition on the 18th July, both tributes to Madiba’s lasting legacy in what would have been his centennial year. Events allowing for the broader South African public to become involved include The Nelson Mandela South Africa SleepOut™ and The Nelson Mandela School SleepOut™ Events that also take place on Wednesday 18 July 2018 across the country.

Apart from Liliesleaf Farm and Museum and the Qunu Food Security Project which are the 2 Primary Beneficiaries that have been appointed in 2018 by The CEO SleepOut™ Trust, there are a broad range of Secondary and Satellite Beneficiaries that have been appointed. Once again in 2018 the Secondary Beneficiaries include Gift of the Givers, Homeless Talk Newspaper and the Salvation Army.

Funds raised through the 2 auctions taking place at Liliesleaf and on Robben Island will benefit the Prison-to-College Pipeline SA (P2CP) developed through a partnership between Stellenbosch University and the South African Department of Correctional Services & Western Cape Community Organisations aimed at integrating prisoners back into their communities. P2CP is an innovative educational programme developed in New York that provides prisoners with access to public university-level education, mentorship, and community support to increase their chances of timely graduation and employment upon release. Baz Dreisinger, Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City and founder and Academic Director of the Prison-to-College Pipeline program states, “We are excited to be launching the Prison-to-College Pipeline SA at an event being held at Brandvlei Prison in Cape Town on the 18th July 2018 from 12h30 to 14h00.

“Arrive with nothing – leave with nothing – is the Ethos of the main SleepOut™ Movement Events, we make sure that everything that is either used or left behind is recycled back into the community for their benefit”, states, Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman from Gift of the Givers. After the main SleepOut™ Movement Events The CEO SleepOut™ Trust works closely with Gift of the Givers who distribute items that are made and collected during these events. Gift of the Givers state that the breakfast many homeless people received the morning after these events is often the only meal some they will eat that day. The impact of a free meal upon the inner-city homeless people is hugely profound.

Homeless Talk is the beneficiary of the annual special edition HopeTalk Newspaper that is published by The SleepOut™ Movement. Each year the launch of HopeTalk sees 200 Homeless Talk newspaper vendors take to the streets in a day devoted to dreams and dignity. All the profits from this project are donated to Homeless Talk that ultimately sustains their operation for a year. Luke Jentile, Editor of Homeless Talk states, “Our vendors from across the country benefit greatly from the special HopeTalk edition, the proceeds of which go directly to them ensuring that for the coming year they receive the full cover price for each edition of Homeless Talk they sell.”

The Salvation Army continues to benefit from the sales of the EMPATHY coffee-table book that was created in collaboration with acclaimed photographer Debbie Yazbek. Filled with poignant images, the book tells the uniquely personal stories of those who are homeless, answering the question: ‘How did it get to this?’

Curated by social enterprise The Philanthropic Collection (Pty) Ltd, whose mission is Creating Conscious Capital, The SleepOut™ Movement aims to spearhead innovation in philanthropy by moving beyond current practices and beliefs, employing business strategies to do good for others.

#RiseToTheChallenge now by visiting The SleepOut™ Movement – https://theceosleepoutza.co.za.