Melbourne philanthropist and entrepreneur Chris Christofi has helped raise almost $214,000 in a single night to support Australians experiencing homelessness.
At the fifth Lead With Kindness gala, held last Friday at The Glasshouse in Melbourne $213,765 was raised in support of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
It was the largest amount made in the initiative’s five-year history and continues Christofi’s long-standing commitment to raising funds and awareness for homelessness.
The funds raised will directly provide 23,400 hot meals and almost 1,000 safe places to sleep for Australians doing it tough.
Christofi, founder of Reventon, is currently the highest fundraiser in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout’s national history.
This year he has already raised over $300,000, with a target of raising $350,000.
He hopes to become the person who raises the most money in a single Sleepout campaign.
“This is not about putting on a fancy event. It is about making sure people doing it tough have what most of us take for granted – a hot meal, a safe place to sleep, and the dignity of being seen and supported,” Christofi said in media release.
“It’s about making a real difference. That’s what these numbers mean. That’s the impact.”
The night was the largest attendance it’s history, with 324 tickets sold and guests from across Australia.
It featured live performances, including two finalists from The Voice and keynote from Vinnies leaders reflecting on 50 years of soup vans.
The auction included a Sydney Harbour luxury yacht cruise for $7,000, a Lucy Liu private dinner for 16 at $6,000 and a Bali resort holiday for six for $4,000.
With this year’s total, Christofi has now personally raised more than $1 million, delivering vital resources to frontline support services.
But he said now was not the time to slow down.
“We are not here to rest on our laurels. We have helped thousands of people, but thousands more still need us. The homelessness crisis is not going away, and neither are we.”
His campaign can be supported at the CEO Sleepout website.
