One Night Out in support of vulnerable youth continues to grow and evolve. In our 5th year, we are proud to now support 6 charitable partners including Covenant House, Youth Unlimited, Variety – The Children’s Charity, City Dream Centre, Phoenix Society, and Mackie’s Place.

Ryan Moreno, CEO at The Joseph Richard Group continues to push to reach the goal of one day engaging 700 participants who raise one million dollars for vulnerable youth. This year, we are bringing awareness by talking about basic needs like sleep and food that those on the margins don’t have access to.

Ryan was deeply impacted by his first experience at Covenant House’s Sleep Out Executive Edition in 2016 when the statistics had a profound effect on his urgency to do more. At that time there were nearly 700 homeless young people in Metro Vancouver, according to the region’s first-ever youth homeless count. With approximately 700 people employed at JRG at the time, Ryan had a vision for everyone to come together to sleep outside in hopes that every single homeless young person in Metro Vancouver would someday not have to.

The Canadian Community Health Survey conducted in 2017-18 by Statistics Canada, showed 17.3% of children under 18, or more than 1 in 6 across Canada, lived in households that experienced food insecurity. Food insecurity is closely related to other markers of social and economic disadvantage.

For these reasons, on Friday November 5th, we will sleep outside for one night together or at home in a yard or on a patio. Some of us will choose to fast for 24 hours*. All to raise funds for the youth in our communities who are supported by the charities that are closest to our hearts.

How to participate:

• Join our team and spend one night outside on November 5th at the Grandview Corners parking lot or at your own home
• A 24-hour fast is another way to show your support
• Share your fundraising link with everyone you know to encourage others to signup and start raising money

Contact our team directly at [email protected] for additional support.

NOTE: We understand that there are risks associated with participating in a fast. Participants will not eat solid foods (with the optional exception of plain rice) and will only drink water and fruit juice. No minor under the age of 13 may participate. Persons who are pregnant, diabetic, recovering from surgery, or experiencing chronic illness or gastro-intestinal disease should not participate. Please consult your physician if you have any medical concerns or questions.