The YWCA Prince Albert Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser on Saturday smashed last year’s record at Plaza 88.
The annual event raised more than $95,000, exceeding the $87,000 raised last year, to help those out in the cold with no homes, no food, and no basic necessities. Their goal was $75,000.
David Hambleton, Fund Development Officer of YWCA said they had already exceeded their goal before the event began.
“I’ve been checking up on that scoreboard pretty religiously,” Hambleton said. “Refresh, refresh, refresh here. As of early this afternoon, our goal is $75,000. We were … just over $70,000 but Malcolm Jenkins, as he always does, swoops in and pushes us over the top. He matched $25,000, so we are currently sitting at about $95,000.”
A total of 18 teams, 86 walkers and 19 volunteers took part in this year’s event. Participants could walk 2 km or 5 km and helped raise over $95,000 for the YWCA.
Hambleton said that there were more participants than listed on the website.
“I think we had about 20 teams this year—20 teams and about 100 people registered,” he explained. “I think on the page it shows a little under 100, but we’ve got some people that are just going to be registering as they come today.”
(L to R) Adam Ruszkowski and Donna Brooks; before the Coldest Night of the Year began lead sponsor Ruszkowski Enterprises presented the YWCA a cheque for $7,500 at Plaza 88 on Saturday.
With the $75,000 goal in the rear-view mirror, Hambleton said they had set a new target–$100,000—which they hoped to exceed in the final push.
“That would just be a dream come true, but I mean, $95,000 is a huge amount and all of it goes towards YWCA programs, essential services, and the new 20-unit affordable housing complex that’s currently under construction,” he said.
The Coldest Night of the Year is the largest fundraiser on the YWCA Prince Albert calendar. Hambleton said the walk in the cold helps to connect supporters to the work the YWCA does in Prince Albert.
“The theme for Coldest Night of the Year is to provide help and support for those that are homeless, hungry, and hurting, which pretty much describes clients in all of the YWCA programs and that receive YWCA services are homeless, hungry, or facing housing insecurity,” he explained.
Hambleton said the best part of the fundraiser was that there are no strings attached. That means the funds can go directly to programs, unlike regular government funding. He said it can fill gaps in the programming that is provided by the YWCA.
“It provides us with unrestricted funds that we can just put straight into client services. As we are funded as a non-profit, we don’t always have money other than to have the lights on and a
couple staff, but Coldest Night of the Year gives us the ability to address client needs immediately and in the moment when it is most crucial,” Hambleton said.
“For us as a non-profit, there’s really no such thing unless we go out and earn some, which is what Coldest Night of the Year does for us, it gives us that bit of leeway to meet where we don’t have the funding or where there’s an emergency for a client and we need to have some funds to address that emergency right in the moment.
One of the teams entered this year was the YWCA Youth Homes team. Kirk Graupe is a youth outreach worker and he said that the team, which raised $2,727 had exceeded their own fundraising expectations.
“I think we did a lot better than last year, so I think that means quite a bit,” Graupe said. “Our whole goal this year was to try and do better than we did last year and we definitely doubled it.”
They did a number of fundraising events including a Steak Night fundraiser at Bugsy’s in early February. Graupe said that was their best fundraiser.
He emphazised that the unrestricted funds raised will benefit the youth they serve.
“All the money that we are raising is in part to go back to our youth to help them with getting more fundraising activities, getting more programming, getting more supports for them,” Graupe said.
Hambleton said the funds give the YWCA flexibility, and that’s important.
“YWCA has a dozen programs in like eight different locations, so the Coldest of the Year gives each of those departments a chance to fundraise and have funds that they can specifically use in their department where they know their clients, (and) they know the needs of their clients,” he said. “They can use those funds to support the clients in the best way possible.”
The sixth year of the family-friendly walk-a-thon opened up with a presentation at Plaza 88 at 5 p.m., where all the walkers gathered to see Adam Ruszkowski present a $7,500 donation on behalf of the lead sponsor.
Before the event began there was a prayer by Elder Liz Settee and speeches by Ruszkowski YWCA CEO Donna Brooks and NDP MLA Erica Ritchie.
“A huge thank you to the business community for their support, and also to everybody who comes out and walks and fundraises and takes part in this. We couldn’t do it without them,” Hambleton said.
Similar Coldest Night of the Year walks also took place Saturday across the province.
