St. Louis Area Executives Raise Over $400,000 to Support Youth at Covenant House Missouri
November 18, 2021 - Covenant House Missouri hosted over 70 executives both in-person at Harris-Stowe State University and virtually for its annual Sleep Out: Executive Edition on Thursday, November 18. Executives from Northwestern Mutual, Ascension, Edward Jones, World Wide Technology, and other companies slept outside in the cold weather to raise awareness of youth homelessness.
The executives gathered to learn, network, and discover some hardships experienced by those without homes. A Covenant House employee facilitated trainings and workshops focused on human trafficking - something very relevant at CHMO, as 35 percent of youth residents self-identify as trafficking survivors.
When Chief Executive Officer Jessica Erfling and the board of directors recognized the increase in trafficking instances in St. Louis, they knew that Covenant House could be a solution. In response, the campus is currently undergoing construction to add 18 new beds for unhoused youth, with one household specifically built to be a sanctuary for human trafficking survivors.
A group of 9 youth from Covenant House Missouri attended the dinner portion of the evening, providing participants the opportunity to meet some of the resilient humans who will benefit from this event. “It means a lot to see so many people here who care about us,” said an anonymous Covenant House youth. “I can’t believe they’re voluntarily sleeping out in the cold.”
In the previous fiscal year, Covenant House Missouri provided 13,113 nights of shelter, serving 256 individual youth over the course of the year. It is currently the only provider of emergency shelter and transitional living programs for youth ages 16 to 24 in the city of St. Louis.
“Sleep Out is an incredible night where our advocates can gather together to learn and reflect as a group,” said CEO Jessica Erfling. “After weeks of fundraising efforts to support Covenant House Missouri, everyone got to expand their knowledge of homelessness and trafficking, glean information directly from our team members, and they even got the distinct privilege of meeting some of our youth.”
The executives who participated in Sleep Out have raised over $400,000 - and counting - for Covenant House Missouri, nearly reaching their goal of $525,000 for the event. Donations will be accepted through December 31 at https://www.sleepout.org/event/stlouis.
