Students kick off 5 Days for the Homeless campaign

While many families are departing on their March Break vacations, four Carleton students are living outside on campus for five days to raise funds and awareness of youth homelessness. Their efforts are part of a national campaign, 5 Days for the Homeless, which is organized by business students from 24 participating universities.

This year’s Carleton participants are: Alanna Favretto, 3rd year Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting); Sarah Paterson, 1st year Bachelor of International Business; Gen Walton, 2nd year Bachelor of Commerce (Entrepreneurship); and Keegan Hardy, 1st year Bachelor of Engineering (Sustainable and Renewable Energy). Their week will be anything but a vacation, as the rules for the campaign are stringent. They must remain on campus,  sleep outside,  rely on donations for food and drinks, have no access to showers, and must not use cell phones or social media except to promote the campaign.

The campaign kicked off Sunday afternoon and runs until Friday. Throughout the week the students will be joined be a number of guests. On Monday, MP Justin Trudeau will be spending the night and Professor Garth Sheriff will join them for the evening. On Tuesday, Sprott Dean Jerry Tomberlin will be sleeping over and Associate Dean Mike Hine will spend the evening. On Friday, MPP Yasir Naqvi will be stopping by at 11 a.m.

This year marks the third year the Sprott School of Business and the second in partnership with the University of Ottawa. The Carleton team hopes to raise $12,500, while University of Ottawa is aiming for $10,000. All of the funds raised will go to Operation Come Home.

Donations can be made online or onsite at the bookstore entrance of Carleton’s University Centre.  Sprott students have also organized a coffee house and bake sale starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Roosters in the University Centre.

For the latest news and updates from the 5 Days Carleton, check them out on Facebook/5DaysOttawa and Twitter @5DaysCarleton!