Vinnies CEO Sleepout participant, Wests Illawarra CEO Danny Munk, with the Vinnies Van, which serves up to 70 meals each night to vulnerable community members in the local community. Photo: Wests Illawarra.
Staring down his 12th consecutive year of participation in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, Wests Illawarra CEO Daniel (Danny) Munk concedes he may have to hand the torch to one of his executives before long.
It may come as a relief to his back, but not without a pang.
“That one night of being cold and miserable is an effective reminder of just how lucky you are,” he says. “We’ve made the Vinnies CEO Sleepout a fixture in our fundraising efforts at Wests. So even when I do pass the mantle one day, we won’t stop. It’s too important.”
He’s not done yet, though. Having already raised just short of $340,000 over the past 11 years — a record for the Illawarra — Danny has set his sights on hitting the $400,000 this year.
“I’m exercising all my arm-twisting abilities,” he says.
It’s a level of passion that caught the executive himself off guard all those years ago.
For the CEO of an organisation that positions itself as a community citizen, when Vinnies approached him about participation, it seemed like a no-brainer.
“But I have to admit, I was a little blind to the gravity of the situation here in the Illawarra,” he says.
“Someone from Vinnies shared the stats with us and in the Illawarra, they were quite confronting. We were leaders in homelessness, and not in a good way. We had more women living in cars, house sharing and looking for places to live than anywhere in NSW.
“I’ve also come to learn that housing instability does not discriminate, particularly with recent economic hardships pushing more people than ever over the poverty line.”
The numbers support this. Vinnies has reported a significant surge in first-time clients seeking assistance due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, with an increasing number of these individuals coming from two-parent households with both adults working full-time.
This year, a record number of Illawarra community leaders are participating in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, being held for the first time at Wollongong Conservatorium.
Danny hopes they can tap into their collective clout to galvanise the community into action.
“We can’t call this a government issue; it’s a community issue. So to our members in the community, I want to say, if life is treating you kindly, share what you can. It doesn’t matter if you donate $100 or $1; to lean on the cliche, every dollar counts,” he says.
“And if you’re a CEO anywhere in the Illawarra, even if you can’t do it this year, think about next. From experience, I can tell you, you won’t regret it.”
To donate, visit Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
