Walkers brave elements for Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser

Hundreds of people will bundle up and brave the cold for a good cause on Saturday.

Scott Brush is Chief Development Officer at Ray of Hope, and said the Coldest Night of the Year event is a family-friendly fundraising walk.

“A lot of people [across the country] get together and walk at night, and that's a true representation of our friends and guests that Ray of Hope works with on a daily basis. It gets people out and raises some awareness about the realities of living on the street in Canada, as well as raising some much needed funds for our Community Centre.”

Brush said every year, the event brings in approximately 30 per cent of the Community Centre's operating budget.

“For the past nine years, we've raised just over $1-million dollars to help support our endeavours. To us, this event is a key fundraising piece and is kind of a cornerstone that we build a number of other things off of.” 

The starting point for this year's Kitchener-Waterloo walk is the Ray of Hope Community Centre at 659 King Street East. 

Registration opens at 4 p.m. and opening ceremonies get underway at 5 p.m. 

You can learn more about it, and how to make a donation or pledge, by clicking here.  

Coldest Night of the Year walks will also be held locally in Cambridge, St. Agatha, and Elmira.