Bissell Centre is holding its annual Coldest Night of the Year walkathon on Saturday, February 28.
Beginning at YMCA Boyle Street Plaza (9538 103A Ave. Edmonton), the opening reception starts at 4:00 p.m. and walkers will set off at 5:00 p.m.
This event features hundreds of Edmontonians walking through the city’s downtown, in matching colourful toques, to help raise funds for Bissell Centre’s critical programs and services.
Last year’s walk
Last year’s walk saw close to 400 walkers on 79 teams helping to raise $150,000 for programs that help people find sustainable housing, increase their financial knowledge, connect to Indigenous culture, and provide essentials for families.
“There’s something powerful about seeing hundreds of people bundle up and walk together on a cold winter evening,” says Michelle Reid, Manager of Community Engagement. “It’s a visible reminder that our community cares deeply about making sure everyone has access to safe housing and supports.”
What to expect at the event
Teams of walkers have been raising funds since November and will continue until the day of the walk. Kicking off from Boyle Street Plaza, walkers can choose either the two kilometre route through City Centre or five kilometre route up to 109 Street before heading back to Boyle Street Plaza for a reception with warm food and soft drinks.
Reid says seeing people from the larger Edmonton community show up to walk alongside one another reminds her how events like these open doors for people and helps strengthen the community.
About Coldest Night of the Year
Coldest Night of the Year started back in 2011, with three Ontario ministries, to raise awareness around what their communities are experiencing. It wasn’t long before hundreds of organizations across Canada and the United States adopted the event, including Bissell Centre whose own Coldest Night of the Year walkathon remains an essential event to ensure it can continue offering its range of programs including in housing, financial empowerment, family supports, and Indigenous cultural supports.
We can’t say enough about our Community Space. This is the central hub where folks can come by for a hot meal, hot shower, fresh clothes, and to build relationships with people to grow their support network.
This space is invaluable to the folks who access its services every day. And, this is why our biggest fundraiser of the year, our Coldest Night of the Year walkathon, sees money raised going directly back into the operations and programs in the Community Space. For a lot of folks, this space is so much more than a warm, indoor place to meet daily necessities – it can also be the first step towards finding their unique pathways out of poverty.
Relationships are everything in the Community Space.
While things like meals and showers might be what first brings people through the doors, they soon learn what other programs might help them along. We offer programs like housing, employment, and mental health, to name a few, which help uncover what barriers people are facing. As staff work to build relationships with people to help find their strengths, folks can start recognizing how best to address these root causes.
No two experiences with houselessness are alike. Building positive relationships can help people recognize their strengths and resiliency – ultimately helping them find their path out of poverty. And, when they’re ready to take those first steps in their journey, Bissell Centre staff help find the resources they need to live a good quality of life.
Every journey is unique – and everyone gives back differently.
Doug has been coming to the Community Space for a few years now. In his own words, it’s his home away from home. The relationships he’s built are like family to him. And like any good family, he finds ways to give back.
The main way Doug gives back to the Community Space is by volunteering in the Community Closet, helping folks find new clothes. Other times, Doug walks around the encampments nearby to see if anyone needs any help. Any way that Doug can help, he wants to offer it to the community that’s given him so much.
“If it weren’t for Bissell Centre, I think we’d all be lost,” says Doug. “They’re helping me out, so I want to help them out too.”
How you can help too.
This year’s Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk sees all proceeds raised going directly back to the Community Space to support its invaluable operations and programs. Start a team, raise some money, and bring out the whole family for a walk downtown on February 24, 2024. Thank you to all our event sponsors, including our Lead Sponsor Capital Power for providing the single largest sponsorship contribution we have ever received.
