Volunteering for the
Lifewise Big Sleepout was an overwhelming experience. It was one of those
opportunities that I stumbled upon in the AUT campus notice board. I have
always been inclined to know more about how I can volunteer for a cause by
giving my time or raising money. After exploring the Lifewise website I was
motivated to raise funds for the homeless in Auckland.
A question which most of us might have asked while
walking on Queen Street in Auckland is - “Why are there so many homeless people
on the streets and how come some of the young people do not have any place to live?”.
The Lifewise Big Sleepout event opened my eyes about how
people are sometimes helpless and what are the various situations which force
them to live on the streets. And trust me, the most shocking fact was that it
can happen to anyone, even those leading a normal lifestyle may end of on the
streets. All this made me feel for the cause and I started to use all my social
media knowledge to raise funds. I used facebook, twitter and linkedin to
increase awareness and drive traffic to my own Lifewise fundraising page. I
even made a small video with the help of my friends; some of these elements are
presented below.
Lifewise Big Sleepout 2014 received 2930 donations to
raise $165,370.40
in funds. On 3rd July as scheduled I reached the AUT campus
to sleepout in the open for the night. We were given a piece of card board to sleep on. We got a
meal from the Lifewise
Merge café, K’ Road, which is generally
subsidised for the homeless. Once we were through with the formal
announcements, a girl came on the stage to tell her story. She had become homeless but with the help of Lifewise she pulled
herself together to get a job at a Café.
The night was a bit cold out there in the open it
wasn’t comfortable at despite the luxuries like a cardboard, sleeping bag,
coffee and jackets to keep us warm. The feeling of loneliness and the fact that
how you can be vulnerable in so many different ways without the comfort and
security of a home started to sink in.
These basic needs are well captured in the video below. Request you all support
Lifewise whenever you get a chance in life.
