A Burnaby mom is swapping out her warm bed for a sleeping bag and a piece of cardboard.
Debbie Preissl is one of 33 mothers participating in Covenant House’s fifth annual Sleep Out on May 5 in downtown Vancouver. The goal of the one-night event is to raise $75,000 for the charity’s outreach program, which sends youth workers out on the streets to make contact with vulnerable young people.
This year’s Sleep Out is the non-profit organization’s first "mother’s edition.” Previous events have been limited to executives and VIPs.
Preissl, who has two children of her own and runs a business development, education and consulting company, admits she’s nervous, but excited.
“I have no idea what to expect. They’re trying to sort of give us a small taste of what these kids go through,” she says.
“I have very close friends, who are CEOs and have already done this. They just told the most wonderful stories, how it really affected them and how it’s one thing to be out at night, but we all just go home to our homes and we’re comfortable. These kids don’t have that opportunity.
“I think it’s going to really open my eyes.”
The non-profit organization is 94 per cent privately funded, according to digital marketing coordinator Kristy Hayter, meaning initiatives like Sleep Out are vital. Of the $75,000 goal, more than $97,000 has been raised so far between the 33 moms.
Preissl is nearing her $3,000 individual fundraising target and is confident she’ll surpass it. She says the support from her network of family and friends has been surprising.
“It’s so touching when you get a little notification that someone’s donated. I got some really beautiful messages.”
Hayter, meanwhile, wasn’t sure what to expect when Covenant House put out the call to mothers to sleep outside.
“People were so excited to join. We had no trouble selling it,” she says, adding the May 5 date was chosen to coincide with Mother’s Day.
The evening begins at 7:30 p.m. Once the moms arrive to Covenant House, they’ll take a tour of the building and go through the women’s crisis program. They’ll also have a panel discussion with previous and current youth who have used Covenant House. The “sleeping” starts at 10 p.m. and concludes at 5:30 a.m. with a reflection exercise.
The response from past participants has been “incredible,” notes Hayter.
“It’s so impactful and meaningful for them. A lot of people get really emotional either from past stuff from their life or just to have a glimpse of how tough it is to be homeless,” she says. “We think it’s going to be the same for the moms.”
