On Thursday, February 16, Russell Teibert and six Vancouver Whitecaps FC staff participated in the first annual Covenant House Sleep Out for young professionals.
With just a sleeping bag and a piece of cardboard, they found a piece of pavement on the streets of downtown Vancouver and settled in for a cold, rainy night.
But one night on the street is nothing compared to the daily reality that some youth face.
Together, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Sleep Out team raised over $21,000 for homeless youth and Covenant House Vancouver, one of the club’s key community partners.
Covenant House provides shelter, food, clothing and counselling to over 1,300 youth each year. The youth have often fled abusive homes, were abandoned or have aged out of the foster care system with no family, no money and nowhere to go.
54 beds in the Crisis Program shelter homeless, runaway or at-risk youth aged 16-24 and provide them with access to trained staff and volunteers to get them the help that they need.
With 64 participants, the Covenant House Vancouver Young Professionals Sleep Out has raised over $214,000 overall, surpassing the $200,000 goal. Donations are still coming in and can be made online until March 31, 2017.
You can support homeless youth and Covenant House by making a donation to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Sleep Out team:
Whitecaps FC also supports Covenant House Vancouver by raising funds through the club’s annual #BuckUp for Mental Health campaign. In 2016, Whitecaps FC fans helped raise over $34,000.
