Vinnies calling for community-minded zoo ‘sleepers’
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All creatures great and small were on show at the launch of Vinnies CEO Sleepout 2025, which will be held at Adelaide Zoo on 19 June.
The annual event invites business and community leaders to sleep outdoors on one of the longest and coldest nights of the year to raise funds for vital community support services including Vinnies SA’s homelessness services.
“It’s an important way to show your commitment to your fellow South Australians,” said Vinnies SA CEO Evelyn O’Loughlin.
“It’s not just for CEOs, it’s for any community, business, government or community leaders. People who want to show that they have a deep care for their fellow community members.”
This year’s Sleepout will embrace new and returning participants with the Zoo’s nocturnal backdrop, including the sounds and smells that come with it.
It’s more than just a challenging night in a unique environment. The purpose is to put a spotlight on the dire circumstances facing many South Australians as the housing and cost of living crises make life even harder for those already doing it tough.
Vinnies SA provides a vital safety net for hundreds of men, women and children in South Australia experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
“If you are community minded, you will see your fellow South Australians in difficulty with the cost of living, housing shortage, or not being able to pay the rent and put food on the table,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
“Although it’s only one night, it helps people to fundraise for a worthy cause. We are a South Australian organisation and we’ve been here for 140 years. The need is only growing. Vinnies only gets about 7 per cent of our funding from government. This is our largest fundraiser, and all the money goes back into our charitable works.”
Capybaras are some of the friendly Adelaide Zoo creatures that will greet participants in the 2025 CEO Sleepout.
Vinnies services include the Vinnies Emergency Assistance program which supports approximately 60,000 South Australians each year with food, clothing, furniture and emergency financial assistance; the Vinnies Men’s Crisis Centre, accommodating 300 men each year; the Vinnies Women’s Crisis Centre which annually accommodates more than 500 women and children and 150 pets; the Vinnies Refugee and Asylum Seeker Service; and Fred’s Van meal service which serves 40,000 meals across 10 South Australian locations.
“Homelessness and these issues should be at the forefront of our minds, and if the CEO Sleepout helps to do that, then we’re making a move in the right direction,” Ms O’Loughlin said. “It’s about being a just and compassionate society, which I hope most people want.”
This year will be the fifth time Jo Tonkin, CEO Sleepout ambassador and director of The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, has participated.
“Everyone in The Gov community donates to the fundraising or buys one of my raffle tickets,” she said.
“They all feel part of it which is really nice.”
Fellow ambassador Andrew Sullivan, managing director of Sullivan Consulting, will take part for his eighth year in a row.
“It’s an incredible community,” Mr Sullivan said.
“I do it with a bunch of friends of mine; we call ourselves ‘The Business Dudes’. It’s a great opportunity for us to get together as four mates and raise money for a valuable cause. I thoroughly enjoy it and look forward to it every year. The stories you hear on the night so fantastic to hear, particularly about all the good work Vinnies has done.”
The CEO Sleepout takes place at Adelaide Zoo on June 19 2025. To donate or sign up to participate visit: ceosleepout.org.au/event/sa
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