Support North House During the Coldest Night of the Year 2023

COURTNEY McCLURE,

The Standard

NORTH DURHAM: Join the North House walk event for the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) 2023, on the evening of Saturday, February 25th.

The day of the walk will look like this: 4 p.m. Check-in, 5 p.m. Opening remarks and the walk starts, 6 p.m. a light meal will be served, and at 7 p.m. the event ends.

"Tens of thousands of Canadians will take to the streets for CNOY, with events taking place in 150 cities, towns, and communities across the country," explained Mona Emond, the executive director at North House.

North House was created in 2004 in response to a need noticed by many community members. Their mission is to provide housing support to at-risk members of the North Durham community.

By participating in CNOY, you can support people experiencing homelessness in the North Durham community. This event will help people better understand people living on the streets, especially during a cold Canadian winter night.

In Port Perry, the walk will start at the Port Perry United Church. The church is located at 294 Queen Street, in Port Perry. Participants are expected to walk approximately two to five kilometres.

Everyone who raises $150 (or $75 for 'youth') will receive a CNOY toque. Funds will be given directly to North House. Last year, North House raised $76,000 through the CNOY. The funds went toward building a new shower and laundry facility in North House's new office.

This year, will be North House's eighth year participating in CNOY. They aim to raise $25,000 to buy their resource centre's computers, printers, virtual equipment and tablets.

Over 200 walkers and approximately 30 teams are expected to participate this year. More people are free to join, said Ms. Emond.

St. Paul's Anglican Church in Beaverton gave staff, at North House, some office space for meetings, and gave the new organization a "formal structure." Afterwards, one full-time staff member was hired. Eighteen years later, North House came to be what it is today and continues to support the North Durham community.

Their vision is to create a community where no one experiences housing instability.

To register, volunteer or donate to the North House walk team, please visit www.cnoy.org/portperry. To learn more about the Coldest Night of the Year, please visit cnoy.org.

To sponsor a walker or team, please contact Mona Emond, at info@northhouse.ca. There are many sponsorship opportunities available. For more information about North House, please visit northhouse.ca.