Stepping up for Coldest Night of the Year walk

Thousands of people across Canada will be walking on February 24 for Coldest Night of the Year. We’re hoping that a couple of hundred of them will be right here in Trail.

Coldest Night of the Year is an annual walk to raise funds to help people experiencing poverty in our community. The Skills Centre is again the host organization for the Trail event and will have the start and finish of the walk set up on the esplanade outside their office downtown.

“You can join a team of walkers, gather your friends or coworkers and create your own team, or support a team with a donation. We invite everyone to gather on February 24 for either a 2 km or a 5 km walk,” says Emily Gora, deputy executive director and development manager at the Skills Centre.

“Our goal this year is to raise $40,000. 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 for your business.

“Business sponsorships are crucial to the success of Coldest Night of the Year, and we’re looking for a few more to help us reach our goals,” Gora says.

Walk this way

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.

This year’s walk will again start and end at the Skills Centre (123-1290 Esplanade Ave). The 2 km walk is around the bridges and the 5 km walk is to Gyro Park and back.

You can register online beforehand, or you can register at the event. Check-in for the Coldest Night of the Year walk on February 24 opens at 4 pm, the walk starts at 5 pm, and then there is a light meal for anyone participating. Walkers who fundraise $150 or more get a free toque or if walkers are under 18, they get a free toque once they hit $75 in donations.

Go to www.cnoy.org/trail to sign up or make a donation.

See you on February 24^th 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