TOGETHER APART AGAIN FOR THE 7TH ANNUAL COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR
On February 26th, 2022, Collingwood & South Georgian Bay will be walking in support of Home Horizon and the Barbara Weider House for youth facing homelessness. With lead sponsors BeaverTails, Crozier & Associates Consulting Engineers and The Chris Keleher Team, this is the night that the people of South Georgian Bay will join 150 communities across Canada for the Coldest Night of the Year for a 2 or 5 km walk. Last year the event shifted to a virtual walk which saw tremendous success in participation and funds raised, ranking Collingwood #4 overall across Canada. Register now: cnoy.org/collingwood
“We are incredibly humbled how this community comes together to help drive change and to provide these vulnerable youth with hope, opportunity and ultimately a chance to succeed”, says Deb Piggott, Fund Development Manager for Home Horizon, “we rely on the Coldest Night of the Year as our biggest fundraiser.” For the second year in a row, the event will be 100% virtual with a goal this year is to raise $125,000 in support of the local youth program.
Home Horizon targets youth experiencing homelessness in the Southern Georgian Bay area. The Barbara Weider House, their transitional housing program, is staffed 24 hours a day and currently has capacity for seven youth to live in the house and is expanding to ten in the new year. Their “Your S.A.F.E.” youth outreach program, helps connect youth with other housing service organizations in our community. They work with youth facing complex and challenging barriers including poverty, mental health and addictions, sex trafficking, racism, trauma and conflictual home lives. Since the launch in 2020, they have served 127 youth, with over 1,085 services interactions.
Homelessness comes at a cost to both the individual, the family, and the community and Home Horizon has seen a dramatic increase in the need for their support and programming due to the pandemic. “Home Horizon’s social return on investment is multifaceted. “ Says Executive Director Steven Pelletier. “not only are we ensuring the health and wellbeing of youth today, we are also making a significant investment in our community’s future.”
With your support we can change and transform lives from poverty and trauma to independence and hope. Please join us on February 26th to walk to support the youth in our community.
To register go to cnoy.org/collingwood
Contact: Deb Piggott, Fund Development Manager, debpiggott@homehorizon.ca, 705-445-5478
Or Alison Smith, Marketing Manager, ali@sweetvignette.com, 416-831-2012
