Despite it not being the coldest night of the year, more than 100 area residents wore their tuques with pride as they walked to raise money for those less fortunate Saturday in Penetanguishene.
Organizers said they expect this year’s Coldest Night of the Year event to come close to meeting their initial $20,000 fundraising goal with the funds raised split equally between Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care and Guesthouse Shelter & Community Hub.
“We’ve definitely doubled since last year and have made over 80 per cent of our goal,” Waypoint communications officer Kristi Lalonde said, noting this year’s offering featured both individual participants and 21 teams taking part.
“We have volunteers from both organizations and other volunteers.”
This marks the fourth year Waypoint has been involved in the event with the Guesthouse coming on board last year when participants raised $14,000.This time around, some of the funds will go towards the Chigamik Waypoint Community Health, which includes supportive housing programs for those leaving in-hospital care.
“In a small town, it (homelessness) can get swept under the rug,” said Guesthouse program support worker Emily Pascall, who walked with her family as a part of the Guesthouse team to support the cause of homelessness.
“It’s not as apparent as in the big city. Raising funds for the hungry and homeless is what the event is all about.”
Penetanguishene’s Coldest Night event is part of a national campaign aimed at increasing awareness about homelessness and raising money to support the efforts, locally, to combat the issue. The local effort is one of close to 130 similar walks held across Canada with nearly 20,000 taking part annually.
In her opening remarks, Waypoint communications and fund development director Laurene Hilderley outlined the importance of this year’s fundraiser.
“Although it’s not quite the coldest night of the year, let’s all dial back to last Friday, when it was minus-28 (degrees Celsius) and remember how cold it was,” she told participants, who gathered at the town’s arena before heading out on the walk that featured a choice of a two-, five- or 10-kilometre route.
Father Michael Knox offered a blessing during the opening ceremonies to remind participants that the love being shared in the community with this event will help others “and that this is an important cause for all.”
Mayor Doug Leroux noted how important it is to have organizations like Waypoint and The Guesthouse working together.
“They work in partnership to reach out and support individuals and families who find themselves in challenging times. They are much needed within our communities,” said Leroux, who also pointed out that area municipalities are strong advocates for affordable housing and homelessness prevention.
Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton said the issue of homelessness reaches across Canada.
“Access to housing continues to be an obstacle for governments at all levels and we are mindful more needs to be done,” said Stanton, who commended participants for helping the cause. “Your efforts and advocacy in that area help each and every step of the way.”
