On September 25, insurance and reinsurance professionals willexperience what it’s like to be homeless for one night. In aneffort to raise awareness and funds for homeless youths,professionals from across the insurance industry will spend a nightaway from home sleeping in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags atCovenant House, 41st Street and 10th Avenue in New York City.

This is Covenant House’s first (Re)Insurance Sleep Out, andparticipants, ranging from CEOs to interns, are expected to exceed100. Sleep Out is one of Covenant House’s largest event of theyear, and will generate essential funding to help children not onlysurvive, but thrive, as they pursue their journey towardindependent living.

“Covenant House is grateful to the (re)insurance industry forcoming together in solidarity to help give hope to so many homelessyouth in need,” says Covenant House President and CEO Kevin Ryan.“Through enduring the discomfort of spending a night sleeping onthe street, more than 100 insurance and reinsurance professionalswill demonstrate their absolute commitment to calling attention tothe unacceptable fact that young people are living and dying on ourstreets.”

Companies leading the effort include Arch Insurance, Arch Re,AXIS Re, CBIZ, Cigna HealthCare, Guardian Insurance, Markel GlobalReinsurance, Pioneer Special Risk Insurance Services, ReinsuranceUnder 40s, and Willis Re Inc.

As part of this initiative, there will be a corporate challengefor companies to commit at least $20,000 to help homeless youths.For each goal achieved, 20 homeless youths will receive one week ofjob-readiness training to help them attain employment.Participating in the corporate challenge are: BMS, EverestReinsurance Co., Guy Carpenter & Co., Munich Re andTransatlantic Insurance Co. In addition, Third Point Re will beserving as a special matching sponsor, committing up to $20,000 tothe campaign.

Insurance and reinsurance professionals will join the more than1.6 million children who are expected to be homeless at some pointthis year, in solidarity of their daily struggle for basic humanrights. As leaders in the fight against youth homelessness, thislife-altering opportunity will help them understand what 1 in 45kids in America will suffer through this year.

Companies can join the movement by visiting insurance.corporatesleepout.org and registering toparticipate in the Sleep Out.