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Wayzata is one of
the most affluent areas in the United States and
Fisher didn't think there were any needy people
there. Still, he set up his tent and decided to
sleep outside until he raised $7,000 to buy hot
holiday meals for people who needed them.
"About two weeks
later, I brought the money to an organization
called Interfaith Outreach in our community. I
felt really good about myself and figured I was
done," he recalls. "In a very nice way, they
asked me what good a hot holiday meal will do
for a family of four that is living in their
car. They said affordable housing and
homelessness were their biggest problems. I was
astounded that, in an area as affluent as this,
there could be affordable housing and homeless
issues."
In 2004, Fisher
slept out for the ninth consecutive year. In 37
nights, he was able to raise more than $1.25
million for his cause, bringing his total
sleepout contribution to more $4.25 million.
Fisher's good
works generate considerable media coverage as
well as a number of community awards. An
unintended, but welcome, side effect has been a
boost to his business.
"It never has been
a way to grow my business, but that is a side
effect of it," Fisher says. "Business does
increase. We do a really good business and it's
a lot of fun to help so many people."
Because it's such
a long running event, Bob's Sleepout generates
its own media coverage. Fisher and his team send
out a press release prior to the kick off each
year and the rest takes care of itself.
"I've been doing
this for so long that the media calls me now.
I've gotten to know a lot of the radio and
television personalities in the area," he says.
"I've received a lot of awards, so there's
constant publicity. There's a lot of media all
the time."
Having established
his event as successful, Fisher's next goal is
to expand the sleepout to other communities. He
spoke in suburban Chicago last year and a former
Minnesota pastor has started the program in St.
Louis. Former Minnesota Twins third baseman
Corey Koskie was a sleepout supporter and plans
to take the idea to Toronto where he will play
for the Blue Jays next year. High school
students have also taken the idea to college
towns as they graduated and moved on with their
educations.
"This year, we're
going to create a kit that we can take to other
communities to get other people involved,"
Fisher says. "We'll make it very simple so they
understand clearly how to do it."
Fisher says you
must clearly define a need in the community,
find someone who is willing to sacrifice some
time and follow a few basic steps to be
successful.
"It's about
getting people involved and helping them to see
that it only takes one person to make a
difference," Fisher says. "We're all one person.
We really can change the world if we want to."
For more
information on Bob's Sleepout, visit
www.bobssleepout.com. |
