Coldest Night of the Year is Inn From the Cold’s cornerstone fundraiser every year, and on February 22, Newmarket rallied in a big way to support the homeless community.
By spending a few hours walking outdoors, participants received a glimpse into the struggles that homeless people face every day. But it also brought the community together for a day of celebration and support for the homeless community.
The community raised $171,846 to support the homeless
This year’s event in Newmarket raised $171,846, far surpassing their goal of $95,000. Of 207 Coldest Night of the Year walks across Canada, Newmarket placed 18th overall and Newmarket also had the top individual fundraiser and the top fundraising team in Canada.
“When I started working in Newmarket, I couldn’t believe the generosity of the community here,” Ann Watson said, Executive Director at Inn From the Cold. “I’ve heard it from other people who work in this community for not-for-profits as well. Somewhere along the line, Newmarket has kept that strong sense of community and purpose for supporting not-for-profits, and I really think that needs to be celebrated.”
Coldest Night of the Year is one of the few front-facing events where donors meet the people they are supporting. Every year, current and former clients join the walk to give back to the community that is helping them move forward in life.
“You’re meeting the people you’re fundraising on behalf of, and to put a face to what can be an anonymous existence for homeless people,” Watson said. “They spend their whole day trying to avoid people thinking they’re homeless, but in this case, they were among friends.”
Newmarket had the top overall fundraiser and top fundraising team in Canada
This year’s top fundraising teams were Team Tom Taylor, Team Inn From the Cold, LSC Bold for the Cold, Trinity Bradford Cares, and Trinity on Main. Together, those five teams alone contributed 43 per cent of the total funds towards Inn From the Cold.
Fundraisers like Coldest Night of the Year are validating for the staff at Inn From the Cold, but also for the homeless community that they serve. It just reaffirms how crucial organizations like Inn From the Cold are towards Newmarket.
Funding crucial pilot projects to help Newmarket’s homeless
“It’s a fun day for everybody; for staff, for our clients, and for community members who come out,” Watson said. “They’re there with their kids, and maybe that’s their first introduction to what community service means. It doesn’t have to be sad; it’s a very joyful community-focused, uplifting kind of day.”
While Inn From the Cold has already started planning for next year’s Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk, they’ll now get to work to using those funds raised to pilot new projects.
In the past, Coldest Night of the Year has helped Inn From the Cold pilot projects like “The Inn Team”, their employment social enterprise, and “Please Come Inn”, the shelter’s transitional housing program.
“It allows us to try new things and take some chances, and those chances have really paid off with some very successful housing programs and a social enterprise that’s seen people return to work,” Watson said.
To find out more about Inn From the Cold and the crucial services they provide for the homeless in Newmarket, visit InnFromtheCold.ca.