Media

OTTAWA, March 14, 2011  —  For the first time, students at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management are proud to be taking part in the 5 Days for the Homeless campaign. The campaign consists of students living “homeless” on campus to raise money and awareness for a local charity. President Allan Rock will participate in the campaign’s St. Patrick's Day BBQ from noon to 1 p.m. on March 17. During the five days, students will be making personal sacrifices to help make their community a better place. As part of the campaign they will follow this set of rules:

1. Remain on campus from March 13-18
2. Have no disposable income
3. Have no access to food or drinks
4. Have a pillow and blanket
5. Have no access to showers
6. Sleep outside on campus
7. Attend all of their regular classes and complete all of their academic responsibilities

WHAT: 5 Days for the Homeless Campaign

WHEN: March 13-18, 2011

WHERE: University of Ottawa, in the space across the street from Fauteux Hall, 57 Louis Pasteur St., Ottawa, Ontario (behind Morisset Library). See campus map.

The team will work in close partnership with the organizing committee from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, which participated in this initiative for the first time last year. The schools’ shared goal is to raise $15,000 for Operation Come Home – a local charity that focuses on homelessness and reuniting street youth with their families or legal guardians.

The 5 Days for the Homeless campaign aims to increase awareness of the issue of homelessness and to raise donations for charitable organizations supporting homeless and at-risk youth across the country. It was founded at the University of Alberta’s School of Business in 2005 and has spread to several other Canadian business schools over the years. In 2010, nineteen participating business schools raised $182,989 for charities across the country. The campaign has raised $521,668 since its inception.

For more information, visit the campaign website.