United Way of Bruce Grey (UWBG) is doubling its amount of Coldest Night of the Year events, as walks come to Grey Highlands and Meaford this February 24.
Last year was the first time events were held in Saugeen Shores and Kincardine, to great success.
UWBG Fundraising Champion, Kristy Andre says both the events in 2023 topped their fundraising goal of $20,000 and drew a ton of interest.
"It went really well. Both locations had a goal of $20,000, so is was phenomenal, especially for the first time," she said. "We got a lot of positive feedback and we noticed a lot of people wanting to come out and wanting to support us, so that was really cool."
Andre says while there's been a Coldest Night of the Year in Owen Sound for years run by Safe 'N Sound, it was time to bring walks to other Grey County communities.
"We are United Way of Bruce Grey. Our head office is in Owen Sound, but getting out of Owen Sound is something we need to do because we don't support only Owen Sound and that's a misconception," she says. "We want to get out there and say we do help people in Kincardine, we help people in Tobermory, Meaford and Flesherton. So this walk helps us get out there and do that."
Each walk partners with a local organization to split proceeds. Kincardine will once again be the Kincardine Good Food Box, while Saugeen Shores is now the Port Elgin Rotary Club. Meaford will work with the Meaford Rotary Club and Grey Highlands' partner is the South East Grey Community Health Centre.
There's still a need for team captains, volunteers, sponsors and more.
To find out how you can help, visit the Coldest Night of the Year website or contact Andre at fundraiser@unitedwaybg.com
