Toronto leaders sleep outside to raise awareness for homeless youth

It was a cold and sleepless night for some of the city’s top business and community leaders, but it was all for a good cause.

About 70 of Toronto’s top business and community leaders spent Thursday night sleeping outside Covenant House, near Yonge and Gerrard streets, with only sleeping bags and cardboard for comfort.

Now in its fourth year, the executive sleepout raises awareness and money for homeless youth at Covenant House.

This year’s goal was to raise $1 million. The total from Thursday night is not yet known but to date, the event has raised more than $2.5 million.

Among the people who took part were Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders, CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge, and Purolator president Patrick Nangle.

Covenant House is Canada’s largest homeless youth agency and serves as many as 250 youth a day. It has an annual operating budget of almost $23 million and relies on donations to cover about 80 per cent of that budget.

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