Sixteen Years, One Cold Night at a Time: Nick Herron’s CEO Sleepout Legacy Builds Homes for Queenslanders
On 19th June 2025, the iconic Gabba swapped cricket whites for sleeping bags as more than 340 business and community leaders braved a brisk Brisbane winter night for the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Together, participants raised more than $1.8 million smashing the original state target of $1.75 million.
Among the sea of cardboard and beanies was our founding director Nick Herron, returning for his remarkable 16th consecutive Sleepout. Nick collected $21,036.00 this year, placing him 16th on the Queensland leaderboard and lifting his career total fundraising to $194,284.00 Every dollar is channelled directly into frontline housing and homelessness services. Queensland | Events | Vinnies CEO Sleepout Nick’s passion doesn’t end when dawn breaks. As Vice President of the St Vincent de Paul Society he helps steer strategy, advocate for policy reform and champion longterm solutions that give people more than a bed for the night… they deliver a sincere future.
That commitment is embodied in Vinnies Queensland’s 500 Homes in 5 Years program. To date 147 homes have already been secured, with construction now under way on the flagship 60-unit project in Nerang and development applications ready for sites in Toowoomba and Bundaberg. All CEO Sleepout funds (including every cent of Nick’s $194k) are quarantined for these projects, ensuring that donors generosity literally pours the concrete, raises the walls, and turns on the lights for Queensland families in need.
Nick’s fundraising page keeps the impact crystal clear: a $75 gift feeds a family for a day; $505 can secure emergency accommodation for a family in crisis. Multiply those figures across 16 years of support and you start to see the scale of lives changed, meals, beds, and now whole communities of safe, affordable homes.
How you can help for Nick’s 17th Year
- Donate: Nick’s campaign remains open, every dollar edges Vinnies closer to the next set of front doors.
- Join the 2026 Sleepout: Swap the boardroom for a sleeping bag and experience the night that changes lives.
- Partner on a project: Herron Coorey welcomes collaborators eager to turn charitable dollars into bricks and mortar.
Sixteen years on, Nick still believes the most powerful building material is community spirit. Thank you to every client, colleague, subcontractor, and friend who has backed this vision so far, together we are quite literally building futures beyond homelessness.
