Today I am not feeling very well. I know we have been blessed with decent weather but last night took its toll on me. It is amazing how hard your body has to work to stay warm, sleep and all its other functions when sleeping in these conditions. I have a lot of experience camping but for some reason this is a whole lot different. Last night the wind got up to about 35km/h and it felt like at least -10. Lethbridge, I know that we should not be complaining. I hope that it has died down out there.
We had another faculty member sleep with us last night. Niranjan Harrison, thank you for coming out and raising all that money. It was fun sharing jokes and talking about strategy before bed.
I think today I will be pretty slow. My body and mind is telling me to find a couch, a blanket, a remote and a tv. I can somewhat understand how hard it must be to be motivated for homeless people to go and be productive. Telling them to go and get a job is a lot easier said then done.
A big shout out to all the other 5 Days homeless participants. I wish you all the strength and courage to finish strong. A great job thus far and all the best out East.
One more thing….
My family absolutely rocks! My dad, Paul has now raised over $1,700. Dad you are amazing, you totally rock! And thanks to all our family and friends.
Love you all…
Marc Lepage
First of all I would like to thank my father and his freinds for donating $1,200. What a guy! Thanks Dad I really appreciate your efforts. Mom and Chantal thank you for your continued support. Love you guys lots.
Big shout out the T-Bone, Heidi, Keith and Scott for staying with us through the wind and rain.
Well I had to take a sink shower today. My girlfreind said that I was not smelling very fresh and that maybe it would be a good idea for me to brush my teeth a couple of times. Hahahahahaa. Thanks Nicole for coming to visit me eventhough I stink. I really appreciate your support and love.
I am feeling pretty good today. I probably slept for 5 or 5 1/2 hours last night. That was the best sleep thus far. I seriously can’t imagine doing this year round. And I know that I have said that before but it is just incredible how draining it is to stay and sleep outside. Last night we used a new place to sleep because of the rain. The difference was a roof over our head and concrete. Roof was nice but the concrete sucked. My body aches!
I would like to acknowledge my friend Marc D’Eon (also a participant) who although very ill continues to stick it out. He coughs all night and all day. He continues to go to class and do homework and somehow seems to have the energy during the day to blog and sell 5 days. Great job Marc!
I would also I like to note that I have two blogs missing and have no idea where they are. Then again I am known to not be very computer savvy and might have erased them.
Marc Lepage
ESB
Well I was officially homeless for a night.Boy was it tougher than I thought. *Note to anyone out there going homeless for the cause… bring a toque, and a sleeping bag, and THICK socks, and warm shoes. All of which I forgot. Made for a lot less sleep than I had hoped, but I survived. I needed to walk every couple hours cause sleeping on concrete can wreak havoc on your hips and back, but a brief walk was all I needed to get comfy again. Thanks to the 5 Days crew for bringing out some cardboard to soften up the cement a little.What a great bunch of people I met out there! It’s amazing how much the little things mean when you have nothing to do all night. Riddles, games, stories, some guy came and sang us a lullaby (amazing voice!). Even a few friends (Raj, John & Liana) came by to visit and donate some money and bring food (the whole group split the Big Mac Raj brought). John and Liana brought us some tea to put us to sleep. Thank you thank you.So was it tough? Yes! Did friends and fellowship make it easier? MUCH. Would I do it again? Yes. Kind of opens your eyes to someone else’s world…. and the more everyone understands each other, the more we can fix the things that are broken in our community.Kudos to you hardcores that are doing it for 5 nights straight. If any massage therapists are out there, stop by one morning and help these people work out their kinks. And to those who can’t experience it first hand, please support 5 Days For The Homeless. It’s a cause that deserves our attention, our support and our heart.T-BoneProducer of the Joe Blow Radio Show on C95.
After a long, but sucessful first day I wanted was to get some homework done and get a few good hours of shut eye. I got none. I woke up today unmotivated, lazy, tired and feeling like a bag of ****. I can understand why homeless people are usually seen having naps in the afternoon. It is seriously a work out to try and get some sleep. Once you finally get to sleep (the easy part) it is staying asleep is the problem.
I have been really warm the last two nights but it has been a problem for me. I sweat in the beggining of the night and have to undress to cool down and then the process continues back and forth. I thought I was a head of the game with some good gear but it takes more than that. I plan to try and re-strategize (not sure that is a word) my sleeping arrangements. I hope it works because I could really use some sleep.
Again the support is really good. Thank you again.
I am excited to have some friends come over and spend the night. They have all raised money and are contributing to the cause.
I hope homework gets better.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Marc Lepage
PS :I apologize for the poor writing skills. Brain no working well.
Day one is coming to a close…..
What a start! The support that we have received today has been absolutely incredible. From family and friends to faculty and alumni the money has been rolling in. Our Dean (Dr. Grant Isaac and his wife) has said he will make a PERSONAL donation of $500. The Dean’s generosity seemed to have sparked something as it was followed by an additional $500 from Maureen and Gordon Haddock, and then another $500 from the Ted Halon and his family. Thank you very, very much.
Also I would like to thank Deloitte and Touche for their sleeping bags, touques and scarfs. They are getting put to good use.
Areva has also donated a $1,000 and touques. That is absolutely great.
Canadian Tire - Sleeping bags
London Drugs - Two large containers of non-perishable food items to be donated to EGADZ
Alison Renny - provided this morning’s bagels and juice. she might even bring some soup tomorrow. I think she might get less sleep than we will.
Reem’s mom - provided a wonderful meal. Turkey sandwiches and salad.
The Ryer and Holler Families - provided some much needed o.j. fruit, cookies and donated $$$.
One of the 3 Shannon (Shannon #1) at KPMG Saskatoon warmed us up with some hot chocolate.
Numerous other students, friends and faculty giving $, clothes and non-perishable food items. Your support is unbelievable. Let’s not just make this a day’er, let’s work on doing this until Friday.
Well back to homework…….
Thanks for the break and I am truly proud of my community. You rock Sasky!
Marc Lepage
Edwards School of Business
Well, first night has come and gone and I actually got a surprising amount of sleep. I was pretty toasty, my feet got cold when I (of course!) managed to lose my socks in the middle of the night.
Yesterday was very busy getting set up, having a few interviews, and eating our last meals. When we all went to sleep, Reem entertained us with her riddles and Marc L entertained us with his sleeping bag antics. Sometime in the night during my half sleep, I realized that I was scared about rats for some reason. I have never even seen a rat, but was quite convinced there could be some lurking around our site. Then I calmed myself by realizing that people living on the streets deal with rats, mice, bugs, and all kinds of things. I can handle this, I think. This morning we were treated to some warm beverages and a lot of interested people, so that is great. The bracelets are getting a lot of attention.
I would like to thank some of our awesome new sponsors: Canadian Tire for the sleeping bags, Wal-mart for the water, Downtown Dental for the dental hygene items(so awesome!!) and Sobey’s for the gift cards.
Back to class,
Shannon
A little tired after a bumpy sleep. The weather was pretty good through out the night but it got pretty cold this morning.
Sleep was ok, woke up often but that was expected. I have a lot of work to do today and I hope that I can stay awake for it.
The support was pretty good today. Our faculty have been awesome! Two thumbs up for ESB faculty and admin.
The radio station came by again today. It went well and we hope this exposure will create some big sponsorship from businesses.
Talk to you soon.
Marc
Well we are now officially homeless!
I want to wish all the 5 Days participants around Canada all the best and good luck in reaching their goals.
The cardboard is plenty, the sleeping bags are dry and the warm clothes are on….. Let’s get this campaign rollin!
Have fun!
Marc
Edwards School of Business
Well the day is nearing and the weather is definitely not getting warmer! But that is ok……I am starting to realize how hard it must be for the homeless. I am worried about 5 days of weather but the homeless need to worry about 365 days of weather. I am excited for next week and I look forward to increase the awareness of homelessness not only in Saskatoon but in all of Canada. I wish all the schools a safe and fun 5 Days.
All the best!
Cheers,
Marc Lepage
Edwards School of Business
