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I need your help. I was just accepted to participate in the United Way of the Greater Triangle's CEO Sleepout, an event that has never been done here before: a leadership sleepout on the streets to draw attention to those who live in poverty. The event will take place, rain or shine, Thursday, September 6 at 6:30pm through Friday, September 7 at 8:00am, in downtown Durham.

It’s been said, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” In a nation as great as ours, people shouldn’t need to worry about where they will get there next meal, or if they will have a safe place to sleep at night. I hope through my participation I can help raise awareness for homelessness and poverty in our community.

This is no ordinary fundraiser; rather than sitting in a climate-controlled room, listening to a keynote speaker over coffee and dessert after a filling dinner, we will be sleeping on the street. Well, actually on the sidewalk in front of the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). We will be provided bottled watter, coffee, and access to a port-a-potty. I will be able to purchase “comfort items” with the donations I raise, which include:

• $250: a piece of cardboard for a CEO to sleep on — AND, a hot, nutritious meal and social call to a homebound senior for six months.
• $500: a blanket for CEO on Sleepout night — AND, one week of safe shelter and support for a family as they seek to move out of homelessness.
• $750: a cardboard box as shelter for a CEO — AND, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and help finding a job for 10 women.
• $1000: a sleeping bag for a CEO — AND, a matched savings program and financial literacy assistance for teens aging out of the foster care system.

I hope you will consider pledging to support my efforts toward this worthy cause, and help me not sleep on the bare pavement. Please make sure you select my name from the “Donate on Behalf of” menu at the very bottom of the form.

Thank you for supporting the United Way of the Greater Triangle, and the effort to fight homelessness and poverty in our community.