Coldest Night of the Year Fundraiser
By John Swartz
The Lighthouse people are organizing the 9th annual Coldest Night of the Year. It will happen February 26 and like last year it is a virtual event. Event organizers are relying on you to plan your own route rather than all participants showing up at the same time to a location and doing a prescribed route.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you get to do your walk 8 times around the track at the Orillia Recreation Centre, or through the living room to the dining room, past the kitchen (do not stop at the fridge) and back around about 150 times to make up the shortest, 2 km distance and call it a day. You can do it outside. There is a 5 km distance as well.
The funds raised the last few years have been split between Lighthouse operating expenses and the building fund.
“One of the biggest differences (this year) is 100% of the funds that are raised will go toward operations. The last several years have gone partially towards the capital campaign,’ said Lynn Thomas, Lighthouse development & communications manager.
The other change Thomas sees is how the money raised will be used. The lighthouse has a normal operation plan, but the housing crisis is affecting even them.
“Another big change is the fact the crisis has gotten worse in a year, the amount of resources that there are out there for people to find rental properties or even a rooming house is so low and the prices have gone up. We actually have one individual who has been with us for a year because he can’t find housing. That never happened before with the Lighthouse. We had kind of a 30 days in, 30 days out before you could re-apply policy; you can’t do that because there is nowhere for people to go. And the economy is in such a crisis we’re finding more and more people all the time. Right now on the property we have 26 in shelter and 19 next door (in supportive housing),” Thomas said.
Despite the pandemic, last year was a banner year for the event. Participants and their sponsors beat the fundraising goal.
“Last year was just over $177,000,” said Thomas. Any organizations doing fundraising sets their new goal based on what happened the year before, and many will try to raise some amount larger than was realized previously.
“Our goal this year is $155,000 and that’s because of what we have seen in the economy. We didn’t want to put a strain of those businesses that can support us through sponsorship and people who may be out of work, so we put it down a little bit because our goal last year was $135,000 and we surpassed it.”
At this time, 278 walkers organized into 58 teams have registered and $66,255 has been pledged of this year’s goal, $155,000.
While the official date is the 26th, since people are on their own to make up their walking route, it can happen on any day, though as momentum builds you might not want to rush out too soon because it will be easier to get sponsors closer to event day.
In lieu of having a community get-together post-walk, the Lighthouse is having what they are calling a Drive Thru February 12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and February 26 from noon to 4 p.m. at the new Queen Street facility. This when participants can pick up their participant goodies.
“They can come pick up their toque and their swag bags and there will be some other interactive things. They get cheered on, shown some appreciation, they get their sponsor flag and they can go out and do their walk as a small group,” said Thomas.
Coldest Night of the Year is a national event with communities from coast to coast participating. Since it began in 2011, 149 communities have raised $43 million. Last year the amount was just short of $10 million.
People can register to participate online. You can create your own team or join one.
(Photos by Deb Halbot and Nicholas Leicht) Main: The CFUW Coldest Night of the Year team.
