Roughtober 2023 was a great success with 100 school students from SCEGGS and Cranbrook sleeping over on 20th October and another 30 adults sleeping out on 27th October. All up we raised $147,000 which is an amazing effort!
The school students spent the evening walking around Darlinghurst and Kings Cross, meeting people we had stationed in different locations and hearing their stories and asking questions. They were polite and engaged and it was a pleasure to witness the enthusiasm of this generation of students as they grapple with the issues and come to a deeper understanding of a complex problem.
On the community night, 27th October, we held a special dinner with our patrons. Canva provided restaurant quality butter chicken and tofu curry with all the trimmings, with cans of soft drink and cake making the night feel special. Our Roughtober participants served and shared a meal with our patrons, getting a taste of how Rough Edges helps those who need it.
We also offered an Urban Walk for people participating in Roughtober, and fifteen people took that up, learning from Paul Bramble about his journey from complex trauma and addiction which led to mental illness and homelessness. He now works professionally as a photographer, and took photos on the night!
Daniel Doody from Channel 10 joined us for the dinner and sleepout. He was very respectful in his filming and interviewing and we are impressed he managed to stick it out outside all night (even during the rain!) We look forward to seeing his news item on Channel 10 sometime this week.
Thanks also to BresicWhitney for providing the caps which helped us promote the events and our fundraising pages.
Here is some feedback from one of our regular participants:
Just wanted to say a very big thank you to you all and the happy band of followers for organising and running Friday's sleep out. It was everything I was expecting and always more. Great food and company, challenging and insightful - particularly Paul's urban walk and an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than me. I need to be in community, one in which I can give to and receive from, to be in fellowship and also friendship.
Thanks to our team who made the event happen. From left to right, Rhianne, Sarah, Naomi, Wayne, Gabriel and Angus