A shot from last year's Coldest Night of the Year in Prince Albert. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Derek Craddock

MAJOR FUNDRAISER

Final preparations underway for Coldest Night of the Year in P.A.

Feb 23, 2024 | 2:00 PM

Despite temperatures forecast to be mild on Saturday, it will still be The Coldest Night of the Year for hundreds of community members.

The Coldest Night of the Year is the largest fundraiser for the YWCA and it’s expected to take place on Saturday evening with a new location.

“We’re having the event take place at Plaza 88 in the Prince Albert Hall this year,” said Funds Co-ordinator with the YWCA David Hambleton. “So, the walk will be from start to finish from Plaza 88 through the downtown area.”

This year, the local non-profit has set a fundraising goal of $70,000, which will help ensure their programs and services remain intact throughout the year.

In 2023, the event set the same fundraising goal but on the morning of the walk, the total amount raised was just shy of that number as they were sitting less than $2,000 away.

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However, a last-minute $25,000 donation by Malcolm Jenkins pushed the total ahead by nearly $15,000, setting a new fundraising record for Coldest Night of the Year.

By Friday afternoon, nearly $50,000 has been raised so far. To help incentivize the donations this time around, Hambleton said they have put a challenge out, inspired by of the volunteers from last year’s event.

“They ended up dressing in an inflatable Unicorn costume,” he said. “That was a real hit. People really seemed to enjoy having a Unicorn along the walk.”

So, this year, Hambleton said that for every $10,000 raised, one of the staff members from the Prince Albert TWCA will dress in an inflatable costume. If the total of $70,000 is reached, the CEO of the YWCA will wear a costume voted on by people on Facebook.

While the cosplay aspect is certainly appealing, Hambleton hopes the purpose of the event will not be lost.

“To kind of highlight the homelessness situation that tends to congregate in the downtown area and bring more awareness to the homeless, the hungry and the hurting in our community,” he said. “It’s all about doing what we can to raise the funds that help allow us to provide the help that the vulnerable community members need.”

Walkers and volunteers will meet at Plaza88 on Saturday at 4 p.m. with the walk officially starting at 5 p.m.

To find more details about this year’s Coldest Night of the Year or to donate, you can visit the official website.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com