Every year, tens of thousands of Canadians head outside and raise money for local charities helping those struggling with homelessness with The Coldest Night of the Year fundraising event.
While it might look a little different, The Coldest Night of the Year is still happening and on a national level has nearly reached its $7 million dollar goal thanks to over 4,000 teams and 20,000 walkers! On a local scale, The Coldest Night of the Year will support the amazing work done at Youth Haven in Barrie and is 75% of the way to its $50,000 goal.
So, how can you help? Well, it's never too late to register and start collecting money because half of all fundraising happens in the last week! On the day of the event, gather with your Covid-safe bubble (or on your own) and walk your 2–5-kilometre route that you mapped out beforehand or join the pre-determined path you can find on the website. To ensure everyone is being as safe as possible, they encourage everyone to bring a cell phone for emergencies and to let someone know where they will be walking.
As an added bonus, anyone who reaches a certain fundraising goal ($150 for adults and $75 for anyone under 17) will receive a special CNOY toque as a thank you. Toques can be picked up from Youth Haven on February 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. where a staff member will be handing them out (wearing a mask and gloves, of course).
The Coldest Night of the Year takes place on February 20 (although they encourage people to walk anytime in February) so head over to the website and register right now!