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Coldest Night of the Year fundraising event set for Feb. 22 in Qualicum Beach

Walk will start and finish at 150 Village Way in Qualicum Beach
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The Coldest Night of the Year community walk fundraiser is scheduled for Feb. 22 in Qualicum Beach.

The Coldest Night of the Year is set for Feb. 22 in Qualicum Beach.

The community walk aims to raise awareness and support for those experiencing homelessness in the Oceanside area. The event starts and finishes at 150 Village Way in Qualicum Beach.

CNOY allows participants to experience a small sliver of what it is like to be out in the cold and come together in community action for change.

"This event is more than a fundraiser — it’s a chance to come together, take action, and show that our community cares," a news release from ICCS said. "Funds raised in Oceanside will directly support ICCS’s Oceanside programs, including outreach, rent subsidies, and life skills for community connection at Orca Place in Parksville."

Funds raised will go to support programming for people who have experienced homelessness or precarious housing in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area, including Island Crisis Care's community-based programs that provide essential skill-building for clients, with topics that include healthy eating; literacy; art therapy; job readiness training; communication; and cultural learning, according to ICCS.

Check-in is at 4 p.m., followed by mustering and opening remarks at 4:45 p.m. before a 5 p.m. sendoff. A light meal will be served at 6 p.m. and the event wraps up at 7 p.m.

Participants can sign up on their own or as part of a team. Pre-registration is avilable online at www.cnoy.org/oceanside.

ICCS has spearheaded co-ordination in the PQB area for the more than a decade now. It has been working for 35 years, delivering housing and outreach programs for people who have experienced homelessness or precarious housing, and often concurrent substance use and mental health challenges.

The current spectrum of ICCS programming includes 13 programs across eight sites addressing the needs of over 250 individuals a day who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness.

Coldest Night funding will support all of this work, with an emphasis on innovative, client-centred programming that has an impact on client well-being – programming like Project Rise that provides employment training and work placements to help people return to independence and community life.

Fundraising walkers who raise more than $150 (or more than $75 for those under 18) will receive a CNOY toque as a thank you on event day, while supplies last.



About the Author: Parksville Qualicum Beach News Staff

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