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Published: 2012-09-07 00:18:00
Updated: 2012-09-07 00:23:51

Posted: September 7, 2012

Triangle execs play homeless for charity

Michael Goodmon

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Michael Goodmon
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Durham, N.C. — More than 20 local executives, including WRAL General Manager Steve Hammel and American Tobacco Vice President of Real Estate Michael Goodmon, slept under the stars Thursday night to raise awareness about poverty and homelessness.

Participants in the United Way CEO Sleepout in Durham made hundreds of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for local shelters. 

Their sleeping accommodations – a piece of cardboard, an entire box or a sleeping bag – depended on how much money they raised.

"The gorgeous thing about us right now is that we get to go home. We get to go home, take a shower, go to work and do what we've go to do," Goodmon said. "It's amazing to realize that there's people who don't have that option. Their only choice is to do this again and do it again and do it again. It's pretty powerful just to get a small taste of that."

The United Way estimates that more than 200,000 people in Durham, Johnston, Orange and Wake counties live in poverty.

Copyright 2012 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

21 Comments


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Latest Comments
here's a fact with nothing to back it up.. most homeless CHOOSE TO BE. there's GOBS of resources for those that truly have a need to get back on their feet. drifters are content right where they are. so enough with the pity party, i think gov is doing a fine job pouring millions into useful assistance channels
smegma
September 11, 2012 2:27 p.m.
I find it strange to drive past abandoned developments and empty houses-and people, children etc are homeless-there is a shelter/house right there-why isn't someone in it instead of on the streets? It is because we as a society and yes, big banks and business take a punitive approach to hard times, rather then lend a hand-make a misstep and I can assure you an indifferent corporation/bank/government will be happy to put you in the streets-all because you messed up playing the game.
Click to view my profile rachel
September 7, 2012 6:34 p.m.
Did the homeless get to live like a CEO while the CEO's "played" homeless?
Click to view my profile Flingpooatyou
September 7, 2012 5:20 p.m.
Nice to see people raising money for the homeless, but I must say a better headline is needed for this article.

If you want to see the nuts and bolts of an organization that does this kind of thing year-round, check out the Durham and Raleigh Rescue Missions.
Click to view my profile NCSUEngineerFC
September 7, 2012 2:59 p.m.
I'm sure authorities scoured the area to make sure there weren't any real homeless in the immediate area. Wouldn't want to actually make contact with one, would they?

Stop ranting....I'm kidding. It was a great gesture on the part of the local executives.
PTParks
September 7, 2012 1:49 p.m.
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