Coldest Night of the Year Fundraiser Walk Raises $35,000 By Time of Departure

Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) is a concept that was launched in Canada and has since spread across the United States. It is an event that local shelters can use to raise critical funds for the homeless, and it also mobilizes localities to more effectively address the plight of people who are sleeping on the streets at this time of year. On February 28 in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church, the Hope and Rest Temporary Shelter (HARTS) generated such an event, inviting the community to register for a brisk walk down North Royal Avenue and back up Virginia Avenue. HARTS is a low-barrier shelter for adult men and women, letting them come as they are without background checks.

Above and below: the participants in the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser walk, beginning at First Baptist Church, progress across the meeting of West 1st Street and North Royal Avenue to make progress towards Subway, where they will circle and come back up Virginia Avenue. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

Community organizations blended harmoniously to make this happen. Police were present to ensure safety while businesses and non-profits alike contributed their time and energy, with On Cue providing boxed meals for the walkers upon their return. Before the launch, keynote speaker Dr. Matthew Rosario delivered an inspirational message in which he emphasized the psychological barriers that keep the homeless on the street. These cases frequently involve substance abuse and therefore present an existential crisis as the victim is being torn between two worlds: a better life on the one hand and the road to perdition on the other. The choice is not always as easy as it may seem.

Hope and Rest Temporary Shelter (HARTS) members Nichole Johns (L) and Michelle Smeltzer (R) stand in solidarity with keynote speaker Dr. Matthew Rosario.

As of the time of departure, HARTS had met seventy-one percent of the financial goal, bringing in $35,000. As successful as the event turned out to be, Reverend of First Baptist Church Michael Williams remarked that this is not a one-and-done. The CNOY event is part of a tapestry of community efforts, many of them weekly in nature, in which First Baptist plays a part. They focus on bringing food, clothing, and other critical resources to those in need. The beauty of the walk is that it potentially brings more people on board the mission to alleviate suffering as participants rally around that core cause. This is something that everyone can get behind, regardless of which side of the aisle they sit on.

The local Rotary family had a sizable presence at the CNOY event and acted as key contributors.