The Coldest Night of the Year

It’s now 2022 and I have decided a goal of mine is to take part in more community events. Not only a goal for myself but for my team as well. That’s why when I was asked to take part in The Coldest Night of the Year, I did not hesitate.

 

When I was approached, all I knew was the event was a walk to raise money. I wasn’t sure of all of the details but that did not matter. There were many teams, and ours which was the Otter Creek Farms team was set to raise money for such a wonderful cause.

 

For those of you who do not know, The Coldest Night of the Year is a walk to raise money for local charities. An event, hosted by Lionhearts, brought 27 teams, making a total of 186 people, together to raise money for those experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness. The goal was to raise $100,000.

 

It took place on a Saturday, February 26th. My family and I met at the Lionhearts location, which is a part of the Kingston Gospel Temple, located on Princess Street. We jumped out of our truck, got our daughters bundled up in the stroller, and met with our team. I was amazed with the number of people that came together for this walk. Yellow hats and pins were handed out to each of the people and what a sight it was. 

 

Before we left, there was a nice speech given by Lionhearts’ own Travis Blackmore. We were given the option to walk 2km, taking us to the shoppers on the corner of Princess and Centennial and back, or the 5km hike to the mall and back. As we had the little ones we decided to take the shorter route. Although we all would have done the 5km, the stroller being pushed on snowy walkways was not ideal. On the way back we grabbed a warm Starbucks and trucked back to where it all begin.

 

 

As I sit here and write this, now being the 28th of February, the community came together reaching $96,040, which is 94% of the goal. How amazing is that?! Although it truly was, what felt like one of the coldest nights of the year, it was well worth it.