The event may be over, but competition is still sizzling for some teams that participated in the White Rock Coldest Night of the Year event.
Held Saturday, the seventh-annual fundraiser involved participants walking the waterfront with the goal of raising money for Sources Community Resource Centre’s Rent Bank, which is used to support people who are at risk of becoming homeless.
The event featured more than 50 teams raising more than $106,000 as of Monday morning, however donations are still being collected.
Sources CEO David Young’s team, ‘The Cold Sweaters’ leads in fundraising with $10,510, and nipping at his heels is Deirdre Goudriaan’s team, ‘Slow Motion to the Ocean’ with $10,495 raised.
Asked if there’s a friendly competition between the leading teams, Young conceded.
“You noticed that, eh? I don’t think the competition is over yet. We can still receive donations and can do so for some time yet. So I suspect you’re going to see Deirdre sneak past me shortly, I think we’re $15 apart, right?” Young said.
This year was the first that the event was held at Memorial Park. A beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, Young said the event brought an extra 500 people to the promenade, which was great for awareness.
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Whether residents participated in the walk or made a financial contribution, Young said the success of the event is a demonstration of compassion by Semiahmoo Peninsula residents.
“My message to them is they’re just definitely part of a community that cares about people who are struggling with issues in their lives. We’re fortunate that we have folks like them who live and work in our community who are prepared to take some time to not only walk for this cause but also to reach out to their friends and colleagues to get financial support for the cause. Job well done,” he said.
According to the Coldest Night of the Year website, there were walks in 144 locations across the country, made up of 3,569 teams.
The total fundraising goal is $6 million, and as of Sunday morning it was at $5,824,738.
Donations are accepted until March 31 at https://cnoy.org/location/whiterock