Learning company's top executive in Canada joins other execs to help homeless kids

TORONTO - Scott Williams, President of Global Knowledge Canada, will be among an expected 80 of Toronto's business and community leaders as they sleep outside on the night of Nov. 20, 2014, to help homeless kids at Covenant House.

Led by new honorary co-chair Belinda Stronach, The Stronach Group President and Chairman, and Tim Leiweke, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) President and CEO who is back as co-chair, the third annual Covenant House Sleep Out: Executive Edition will see participants spend the night outside with only a sleeping bag and piece of cardboard to raise awareness and funds for the downtown agency.

This year's goal is to raise more than $800,000 in one night. To date, the event has raised more than $1.3 million.

Among the participants getting a small glimpse of the hardships kids can face on the street are Patrick Nangle, Purolator President and CEO; Mandy Shapansky, President and CEO, Xerox Canada Ltd.; Dan McGrath, Cineplex Odeon Corporation COO; Porter Airlines' President Robert Deluce; Freshii CEO and Founder Matthew Corrin; Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair; and Event Committee Chair and Davis & Henderson Canada President Duncan Hannay.

"Family and home are very important to me," said Scott Williams, President of Global Knowledge Canada. "On the night of Nov. 20, 2014, I will be sleeping out in solidarity with the kids who find themselves on the street because they have no home to go to and no family to depend on. Every year, some 10,000 kids in Toronto find themselves in just that situation. Covenant House is there for them -- and this is my way of being there for Covenant House."

Bruce Rivers, Executive Director of Covenant House Toronto, the country's largest homeless youth agency, says as many as 2,000 kids are homeless in the city on a given night.

"We are most grateful to those who are coming out again this year and to those who will be joining us for the first time for this life-changing experience," Rivers says. "This event helps shine a light on the plight of homeless youth and raises much-needed funds to help us give our kids the support they need to build better futures."

Covenant House provides 24/7 crisis shelter and the widest-ranging services under one roof to about 3,000 youth annually. To do all this, the agency relies on donors for about 80 percent of its $21.8-million operating budget.

About Global Knowledge

Global Knowledge is the world's leading IT and business skills training provider. Offering the most relevant and timely content delivered by the best instructors, we provide customers around the world with their choice of convenient class times, delivery methods and formats to accelerate their success. Our business skills solutions teach essential communications skills, business analysis, project management, ITIL service management, process improvement and leadership development. With thousands of courses spanning from foundational training to specialized certifications, our core IT training is focused on technology partners such as Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Citrix, IBM, Juniper, Microsoft, Red Hat and VMware. We offer comprehensive professional development for technologies like big data, cloud, cybersecurity and networking.

Founded in 1995, Global Knowledge employs more than 1,300 people worldwide and is headquartered in Cary, N.C. The company is owned by New York-based investment firm MidOcean Partners.