Executives spend night on the street to raise money for homeless kids

TORONTO - Seventy-one business and community leaders in Toronto braved a wind chill of minus-18 overnight to sleep on the street to raise money for homeless kids.

The third annual Covenant House Executive Sleep Out raised more than $900,000 for the facility, about $100,000 over the original goal.

Participants bedded down with just a sleeping bag and piece of cardboard.

They included Belinda Stronach, chairman and president of The Stronach Group, and Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

Others included police Chief Bill Blair, Purolator president Patrick Nangle, CIBC vice-president Steve Geist and Diane Brisebois, head of the Retail Council of Canada.

Covenant House provides shelter and a variety of programs for homeless youth with a budget of $21.8 million, of which 80 per cent is provided by donors.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version misspelled Covenant House.