FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2007
SAN DIEGO RESCUE MISSION HOSTS A COMMUNITY SLEEPOUT ON DOWNTOWN STREETS TO HELP THE HOMELESS
Registration Opens for Inaugural Rescue Mission Event,
Sleepless in San Diego, Scheduled for April 28
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Rescue Mission is offering charitable-minded San Diegans a challenge most have never dreamed they might face – spending the night sleeping outdoors on a city street. But the Mission’s new fundraising event, Sleepless in San Diego, also gives volunteers the chance to make a difference long after all the pledges have been collected and the sleeping bags put away.
"The San Diego Rescue Mission provides help to the homeless that just isn’t available anywhere else," said Herb Johnson, the Mission’s president and CEO. "We wanted to develop a signature annual event as unique as our services. If you participate in Sleepless in San Diego, you’re going to have an experience no other non-profit in town can offer you."
Volunteers will raise money through pledges, with a minimum $40 pledge required for participation in the event. All funds raised will support the Mission’s programs, which include San Diego’s only state-licensed 12-month holistic rehabilitation program for men and the city’s only emergency shelter for women and children. The Mission also operates a 12-month holistic recovery program for women and children and a food recovery and distribution program. The Mission accepts no tax money or federal funding and depends entirely on donations from individuals and corporations.
Sleepless in San Diego will be held outdoors at the San Diego Community Concourse in front of City Hall, rain or shine, on Saturday, April 28. Security will be in place throughout the event, which begins at
7 p.m. on Saturday and ends Sunday at 8 a.m. More information about the event and online registration are available at a new Web site, www.sleeplessinsandiego.org.
A 17-member host committee of notable San Diegans is supporting Sleepless in San Diego, including
Co-chairs, Malin Burnham of Burnham Real Estate and John Kratzer of JMI Realty. Union Bank of California and The Corky McMillin Companies are the event’s title sponsors. Additional support is provided by Pacific Building Group, JMI Realty, First Pacific Bank of California, Ray and Kim McKewon, KUSI-TV and Cook & Schmid.
ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO RESCUE MISSION