Netcare CEO braves cold winter night in support of less fortunate, vulnerable children
Dr Richard Friedland preparing to brave the cold at the CEO SleepOut
Netcare’s CEO, Dr Richard Friedland, yesterday gained some insight into what it is like to have no other place to sleep than out on the street. Richard participated in the 702 Sun International CEO SleepOut, an initiative that challenged the country’s business leaders to sleep out on the street to raise funds and help increase awareness of less fortunate, vulnerable children and youth, including those living on our streets.
Like all other participating CEOs, Richard was provided with a piece of cardboard as a mattress, a sleeping bag and a mug of soup to deal with the night’s chill. “Having to sleep out in the cold was a truly humbling experience. We were lucky to have been given a decent sleeping bag but I certainly did a get an idea of what less fortunate people go through, as it was pretty cold in the early hours of the morning!” he said.
“My one-night experience in no way compares to what thousands of homeless people go through every single day of their lives, and I commend the initiative for highlighting the plight of those less fortunate and for raising money to provide tangible support to addressing some of their issues,” he added.
The proceeds that are raised in this initiative will go directly to Girls & Boys Town, a non-profit organisation that runs programmes to rehabilitate and support vulnerable children and the youth.
“This is truly a worthy cause which is closely aligned with Netcare’s values of care, dignity and most importantly, participation. I would like to say a huge thank you to the incredibly uplifting messages of support which I received throughout the night from members of the Netcare family and also to those who made personal contributions towards the initiative; your support will make a meaningful difference in the lives of many less fortunate girls and boys,” Richard concluded.