Registration is now open for the 7th Annual SleepOut for Shelter event and Pioneer Center for Human Services is looking to the community to help make 2016 a record breaking year. SleepOut for Shelter is an annual awareness and fundraiser event for McHenry County PADS, the homeless program of Pioneer Center. The event will take place on May 14 at Church of Holy Apostles in McHenry.
Participants can raise money by collecting pledges to sleep outside in tents, cars and even cardboard shelters. There are three easy ways to get involved—register to participate, pledge a participant or take a “Make Change” box and collect donations. Individuals who register for the event at www.SleepoutforShelter.org, receive an event t-shirt and admittance to the rally at Church of Holy Apostles which includes a meal, entertainment, cardboard to make your very own shelter and an overnight sleepout location!
It is important to note that individuals do not have to sleep out to participate in this unique fundraising event. Many families or groups create “alternate” SleepOut for Shelter events such as sponsoring an office jeans day where employees pay $5 to wear jeans and then take the contributions and donate them to the SleepOut cause. Or, another example is to hold a movie night and charge “admission” which is in turn donated. Even if you can’t sleep out we encourage everyone to sign-up for the event to create their own online fundraising page.
Despite continuous financial cuts, McHenry County PADS services remain in high demand. In 2015, nearly 300 men, women and children sought services with 117 people staying in emergency sleeping beds or the transitional living facility. Throughout the year, over 2,400 trips were made throughout the county by the PADS transportation program helping individuals get to shelter sites, job interviews, doctors appointments and more.
For those interested in participating, simply go to www.SleepOutforShelter.org to register. There are two registration options—as an individual for $20 or as a family of five for $35.
This event is brought to you by Sage Products, Inc. with additional sponsorship by Shaw Media and Star105.5.
