Coldest Night of the Year walk set to warm hearts in Stratford Feb. 28

Stratford’s annual Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser returns to Lower Queen’s Park on Feb. 28 in support of Shelterlink Youth Services and the Stratford Connection Centre.

With just days to go before Stratford’s Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) walk returns to Lower Queens Park on Feb. 28, organizers say the community’s compassion is once again turning into action in support of some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.

The annual fundraiser, presented locally by United Way Perth-Huron and Shelterlink Youth Services, will see walkers gather in Lower Queens Park – in the Stratford Festival parking lot at the bottom of the hill – for an evening walk aimed at raising funds and awareness for youth and adults experiencing homelessness.

“Seeing someone struggle in the cold tugs at our hearts. I am so proud to be a part of a city that turns compassion into action,” said United Way Perth-Huron senior manager of resource development and communications Sonya Heyen in a press release.

Shelterlink development and community engagement manager Michelle Cutts said this year’s event will feature a few new, family-friendly additions to make the evening even more welcoming.

“We have a few more snacks and activities for kids to do to make it a bit more family friendly,” Cutts said. “We’re going to do marshmallows on a stick, and we’ll have a little bit of a bonfire as well, which is really nice.”

Participants will also take part in a group warmup led by Crunch Fitness as part of the opening ceremony before heading out on the route. After the walk, Soup Surreal will once again serve hot soup to participants, while Chris’s BBQ & Country Style Catering will provide hot chocolate.

Registered walkers are expected to meet next to Lower Queens Park along Lakeside Drive at 4 p.m. with an opening ceremony and official remarks scheduled for 4:45 p.m. Participants will then head off around Lake Victoria on two- or five-kilometre loops before returning to the walk’s starting point by 6 p.m., at which point soup will be served.

As of Feb. 17, with just 11 days left before the event, 370 individual walkers across 66 teams had registered for this year’s fundraiser, with 62 per cent or just over $125,000 already raised.

Yet while fundraising remains a key goal – with a target of $200,000 this year – Cutts said the event is about more than just dollars raised.

“Yes, it’s about fundraising for Shelterlink and for the Connection Centre, but it’s also about awareness of the issues,” she said. “Awareness can be just as important.”

Money raised will be split evenly between Shelterlink and the Stratford Connection Centre. According to Cutts, the money supports core operating costs, including staffing and basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter.

“For us, that really is keeping doors open and having staff ready for youth,” she said. “Having someone that they can trust and they can go to and they can get help from is just as important as the basic necessities of shelter, food and clothes.”

Shelterlink supports just over 100 youth each year through its prevention, in-shelter and post-shelter programs, while the Connection Centre and Warming Centre located in the basement of St. Paul’s Anglican Church serve roughly 20 people each night during the coldest months.

There is still time to register, donate or volunteer through the Stratford CNOY page at cnoy.org/location/stratford.