A Relentless Pursuit to Help the Homeless

Melbourne-based property investor, bestselling book author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Reventon Founder & CEO, Chris Christofi, is raising money for the homeless at the Lead with Kindness, Pay it Forward fundraiser. 

This is Chris’ fourth year participating in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout and this year he has pledged to raise $100,000 for the cause. Together with Reventon, Chris hopes to be able to raise enough money to build and sell a house for the St. Vincent de Paul Society (or Vinnies for short) in Victoria. 

Vinnies is an organisation established over 170 years ago with members and volunteers working hard to assist people in need and to combat social injustice. They help people experiencing homelessness and people at risk of homelessness with vital access to food and accommodation. They also provide education, counselling, employment and health services to help people overcome poverty in the long term. 

Community involvement has been very important, and has managed to help create funds for the Vinnies through charitable programs and events such as the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. 

For the past four years, Chris Christofi has been participating in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout—an initiative attended by CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders from all sectors and walks of life, to raise money for homelessness services and provide a hand to anyone in need. The past three years have allowed Chris to raise more than $180,000, placing him in the top 0.5% of fundraisers nationwide. 

In 2018 Chris’ raised $40,185 followed by $60,564 in 2019, where he donated 50 cents to every dollar raised. This was the year he was appointed ambassador for the Vinnies campaign. In 2020, Chris raised $82,177 and donated 75 cents to every dollar raised, placing him in the top 0.5% of fundraisers nationwide. This year, Christofi has been appointed the face of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout and he has pledged to match dollar for dollar. 

The Brick by Brick charity is an initiative he started in association with St Vincent de Paul. They plan to buy (block of land purchased), build and sell a house (completely paid off) with the estimated sale price of $700,000 going towards the work Vinnies volunteers do. 

“Helping people experiencing homelessness is a cause very close to my heart as I feel like this could happen to anyone” says Chris. A “massive reality check”, participating in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout has allowed Chris to “realise how tough it is for so many (homeless) people, and why it is important not to judge, and to show kindness”. 

Apart from the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, Chris’s charitable initiative, Brick by Brick, will also be contributing to the fundraising campaign. Chris started Brick by Brick together with Vinnies Victoria with proceeds going towards the work Vinnies’ volunteers do. 

The idea behind the Brick by Brick project is to acquire land, build a house, sell the house, and donate all proceeds to Vinnies. “We’re calling it Brick by Brick because nothing symbolizes what Vinnies does more than a home”, according to Chris. 

His book Your Path to Wealth, Brick by Brick teaches people how to build their wealth through property investment. A self-made property millionaire, Chris is keen to share his wealth-building techniques to help those interested in achieving financial freedom, and busting the myth that property investment is reserved for the already wealthy. 

This Amazon bestseller not only continues to inspire and educate a lot of people but 100% of the sales of this book will go directly to the fundraising campaign as well.

The Lead with Kindness, Pay it Forward fundraiser is on Tuesday 1 June, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. There will be food, drinks, and live entertainment, and of course, the opportunity to celebrate a wonderful cause with likeminded individuals. The venue for the event is the Marameo in Melbourne. 

Chris wants to see more and more work done to alleviate poverty and homelessness each year, and to get more people to join in this mission to create a bigger impact. “Showing kindness, empathy and compassion as human beings should be a non-negotiable” he says and is calling on business leaders, philanthropists, and anyone kind and compassionate enough to share their blessings with people who are in less fortunate positions. 

“The work is never done. I want to address the financial health of the beneficiaries of the Vinnies through this donation. I am hopeful that in turn, the opportunities these donations bring will equip them with the skills they will need to contribute to the country’s economy, and more importantly, become a source of pride and bring a sense of belonging to the underprivileged members of the community”.

Buy tickets to the fundraiser by clicking below:

If you are unable to attend the event, you can still contribute to the cause by donating here.