Amherstburg’s Coldest Night of the Year returns February 28

Amy Bailey and Morghan Shearon from The House Youth Centre show candles that are for sale as part of this year’s Amherstburg’s Coldest Night of the Year event.

Amherstburg’s Coldest Night of the Year (ACNOY) returns next month with it helping bolster a local youth organization.

Coldest Night of the Year walks are held all over Canada, with the local 2K and 5K walks taking place in Amherstburg Feb. 28. Proceeds from the local walk will benefit The House Youth Centre.

The ACNOY is in its sixth year of being held for and by The House, with board  member Amy Bailey stating planning starts in November, but gains momentum up in January. She said they have a lot of sponsors who help out and are gaining new ones this year.

The River Town Times is a new sponsor, with the newspaper donating $1,500 to the event. The Fort Fun Centre will be the new location for the afterparty. 

“We’re starting to recruit for volunteers,” said program director Morghan Shearon. “Our members are excited.”

There were 65 volunteers last year, including firefighters and auxiliary police joining House members and people from the community as a whole.

Bailey said the more people get involved, the more they see the results. There are 52 walkers and 15 teams signed up so far, with 13 per cent of the $50,000 fundraising goal reached. Bailey added donations start to pick up within the final two weeks of the event.

The Amherstburg Firefighters Association serves chili after the walks with Festival Tents also providing a major contribution. A list of all sponsors can be seen at www.cnoy.org/amherstburg. 

Starbucks is a major corporate sponsor of the Coldest Night of the Year nationally, so now that Amherstburg has a location, they are assisting in selling paper snowflakes that can be purchased through any sized donation and put up in the restaurant to promote the cause.

The House tried to raise $50,000 last year and ended up with $43,000, with $20,000 coming in the last ten days. New sponsors are welcome with route sponsorship being $500 and rest stop sponsorship being $650. The House gets to keep all sponsorship dollars it collects and the bulk of donated dollars, though a small percentage of the latter goes to the Coldest Night of the Year for administrative costs.

The idea behind the Coldest Night of the Year is to support local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger and homelessness. Bailey said CNOY representatives reached out to The House in 2021 and formed the partnership.

Plans are underway for the So Cold Social, an event held shortly before the ACNOY itself, with details to be revealed in the future. The Feb. 28 ACNOY starts and ends at the Amherstburg Community Hub, where the House is based. Check-in is at 4 p.m., opening remarks at 4:45 p.m. and send-off at 5 p.m.

To donate or sign up as a team or walker, visit www.cnoy.org/amherstburg. To volunteer, visit www.cnoy.org/volunteer. For more information on The House, visit www.thehouseyouthcentre.com or call 519-736-6811.

Amherstburg’s Coldest Night of the Year returns February 28

By Ron Giofu