Community comes together for Coldest Night of the Year
By Contributor
It’s time for our community to come together to raise money and awareness on the Coldest Night of the Year! The theme of this year’s fundraiser is to change the tune for people experiencing hurt, hunger and homelessness, because it’s cold out there.
Coldest Night of the Year is an annual walk to raise funds to help people experiencing poverty in our community. The Skills Centre is hosting the Trail event for the fourth year in a row and will have the start and finish of the walk at their new building downtown.
“We’re asking you to join a team of walkers, gather your friends or coworkers and create a team, or support a team with a donation. You can also volunteer at the event. There are so many ways to get involved in Coldest Night of the Year. Don’t simply walk on by,” says Emily Gora, deputy executive director and development manager at the Skills Centre.
“We invite everyone to gather on February 22 for either the 2 km walk that loops around the two bridges downtown or the 5 km walk that goes out to Gyro Park and back. Bring your walking playlist and walk that line.”
“The fundraising goal this year is $20,000. We’re confident that our community will show the support to make that happen. Most of the money stays in the community and supports poverty reduction right here in Trail,” she adds.
You can donate as a business or an individual either by contacting the Skills Centre or going online at www.cnoy.org/trail. Business sponsorships start at $500 and include recognition in multiple ways for your business.
Walk of life
Poverty affects our whole community, and your contribution makes a difference.
The money raised in past years has gone towards poverty reduction efforts such as the Skills Centre’s Community Kitchens program that helps people create healthy food practices for their household; the La Nina shelter; and the Trail Community Action Team’s work to reduce the stigma towards people who use substances in our communities.
You can register online beforehand, or you can register at the event. Check-in for the Coldest Night of the Year walk on February 22 opens at 4 pm, the walk starts at 5 pm, and then there is a light meal for anyone participating.
Go to www.cnoy.org/trail to sign up or make a donation.
See you on February 22nd for Coldest Night of the Year!
The Skills Centre has a long history of providing innovative and transformative community programming especially in support of youth, women, immigrants, newcomers and people living with low income. It also provides regional poverty reduction programming in partnership with five local municipalities.
The Skills Centre’s poverty reduction programming includes:
- food security initiatives such as Community Kitchens;
- running the affordable housing directory and a continued effort to ensure that BC Housing supports Supportive Housing in Trail;
- advocacy for a living wage;
- the Ending Working Poverty project in collaboration with Tamarack Institute;
- offering bursaries to women and graduating high school students living with low income;
- and the development of a Common Access Card that allows people living with low income to access recreational facilities and cultural events.
Schedule
Date & Time
- Feb. 22 from 4-7 p.m.
Location
- Events start and finish at 1060 Eldorado Street, the Skills Centre new building, in downtown Trail
Schedule
- 4 p.m.: Check-in opens
- 5 p.m.: Opening remarks + send-off
- 6 p.m.: Light meal served
This post was syndicated from https://castlegarsource.com
