Guelph's 2023 "Coldest Night of The Year" walk on February 25th raised over $165,000 for HOPE House. Many Rotarians from our very own club played a part in this event, and we couldn't be prouder of Jaya James, Sean Yo and several club members who walked, volunteered and donated.
The Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) is a family-friendly walk to raise money for local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness.
It's a nationwide event each year, held in local communities on the same night. In 2023, there were 182 events across Canada that collectively raised over $12 million thanks to some 37,000 walkers, 5,500 volunteers and 132,000 donors, coast to coast.
Here in Guelph, it was the best CNOY ever, raising both awareness and funds for HOPE House. There were 447 walkers, in 67 teams, and they raised over $165,000 for HOPE House!
Our Rotary hearts were overjoyed for Rotary Club of Guelph members Jaya James (Executive Director of HOPE House) and Sean Yo (our Rotary Vice President Elect for 2024-25, one of the highly organized and motivated co-chairs of CNOY Guelph 2023 along with volunteer Laura Keller as the event's other co-chair). Several club members joined various teams, including Ben McCarl's team of Rotary Walkers. And along the way, at the refreshment station, more volunteers like Marguerite Campbell happily greeted and served the many walkers. Many other Rotarians were spotted at the event too, including Tracey Curtis, Helmuth Slisarenko, Faz Ashkar, Peter & Leanne McSherry, Terrie and Alan Jarvis, Eleni Bakopoulos, Dianne Dance, Irene Szabo, Marty Fairbairn and others we probably missed in the crowd.
Read more about the event on Guelph Today and see more photos HERE.
https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/coldest-night-of-the-year-brings-in-165k-in-donations-6612531
