Hundreds of community members gather in Downtown Courtenay for the fundraising walk; the successes of the past nine years have empowered CVTS and D2D to reach even higher this year, with a bold fundraising goal of $225,000. Photo: Karley Bracey / CNOY

“ The intention of being a walk on the coldest night of the year is that we experience a little bit about what it's like to be outside in the cold and then only have a small bit of food at the end. So we're trying to mimic the experiences of some of the most vulnerable in our community,” said Heather Ney, CVTS.

Comox Valley Transition Society (CVTS) and their partner organization Dawn to Dawn Action on Homelessness Society (D2D) are warming up for their 10th annual Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) fundraiser, taking place on February 22nd.

Heather Ney, executive director of the Transition Society, said that the successes of past years have empowered them to reach even higher this year, with a bold fundraising goal of $225,000.

“This is the 10th year of the Comox Valley Coldest Night of the Year. In the previous nine years we've raised approximately $1.2 million that has been split between Dawn to Dawn and the Comox Valley Transition Society to support those who are homeless, hungry or hurting,” Ney said. “And I think it's really important to note with that incredible $1.2 million how generous and compassionate our community is, and for those who are less fortunate and marginalized and vulnerable. The need isn't going away, for housing affordability or food security or people who are hurting. So we set a huge target for ourselves this year in 2025 to raise $225,000.”

The Coldest Night of the Year is a North American fundraiser, and has over 200 communities participating across Canada this year. Locally, the event is an evening walk around Downtown Courtenay, putting participants in the shoes of community members experiencing hurt, hunger and homelessness. The family friendly event has been a landmark success for the past nine years in the Comox Valley as the community turns out to support the two organizations, Ney said.

“ It is a testament to the Comox Valley and their generosity in that we have been in the top 20, I think, in almost every year. And last year in 2024, we raised $190,000 and out of 180 locations across the country, we were number 10. So our little ‘Comox Valley that could’ is just an outstanding fundraising machine when it comes to Coldest Night of the Year,” Ney said. “And I can say on behalf of both CVTS and Dawn to Dawn that we are so grateful and that all those dollars raised by our community have made a difference in the lives of people in our community.” [Ney]

Minions said the support in the community is something to be proud of, with hundreds of people in the Comox Valley championing this Coldest Night of the Year walk. Photo: Karley Bracey / CNOY

Comox Mayor Nicole Minions has taken part every year; she shares how she got involved that first year, and why she keeps coming back.

“ It was about 10 years ago when it was first starting and the company I worked for at the time was one of the sponsors. So I got involved as our company spokesperson and I brought out my family because it's a very family friendly … it's really, really inclusive as far as who can do the walk or who can volunteer there,” Minions said. “And once I kind of saw that I've been participating ever since, but one of the big things was, I know the really great local work that the two organizations are doing, Comox Valley Transition Society and Dawn to Dawn.”

“In my 20s, I worked or volunteered at a number of kind of transition houses in Vancouver and then also in Port Alberni,” the mayor said, “and so just being someone who worked in that environment, I just think it's so important for us to raise funds for people that may need that house, or that shelter and home in those times. So I really, really like the work that the two organizations are doing locally, so it was easy to keep participating.”

Minions said that while working in shelters she saw first hand the diverse group of people needing access to transitional or supportive housing to get their feet back on the ground.

“ Any one person could find themselves in that situation. And it's just a really important piece of the puzzle with making sure we find shelter for women, families. I know that there's also men's groups and victim support services that [CVTS and D2D] do. So they really do touch every area of the community,” she said. “And I love that when we go out and walk here in Comox or Courtney it is going directly to those local organizations that are really supporting local women, local families. That's just really, really important to see that that money is staying in the Comox Valley.”

Minions said the support in the community is something to be proud of, with hundreds of people in the Comox Valley championing this Coldest Night of the Year walk. She reflected on 2024, when the Comox Valley raised the 10th most funds of all Canadian communities.

“ It just really showed how many people came together. And it really is individuals, there's lots of businesses, it's something where so many people in the community are really aware of the day of when it's happening, and you can really see it in the amount that gets raised. I know the goal this year is $225,000, so there are large donations that are being made throughout the community, and I think that's just something we can be really proud of, of how much we champion it regionally here,” Minions said.

Ney is proud of this too, and while currently funds raised are a little over $100,000, she feels confident that the community will come together to meet their goal by February 22nd.

“I can hammer away on the fact that the Comox Valley is number 10 in all of the country in dollars raised last year,” she said. “We're sitting at number 17 right now, which, you know, I like to be a little competitive so I'd like to see us higher up there, but I also know that the Comox Valley is very last minute when it comes to many things and [I’m] still confident that we'll be able to achieve our goals.”

Minions said that once the funds are raised and everyone gathers to walk, the evening is a fun night of community connection, with the walk beginning and ending at the Native Sons Hall, and a couple stops for hot chocolate along the way.

“All in all it's a couple of hours, but you go down, you participate, and you just run into a lot of familiar faces and people. The actual night of, or evening of the walk, is a really fun experience to participate in. Once you've raised the money and everyone's got their toques on, it's a real feeling of community down at the event,” she said.

Minions said this community event is a good opportunity for her children to learn values like supporting others.

“ I've been bringing my boys down again for 10 years, and every single year we go out as a family, and I kind of talk to them a little bit about why we're walking, why we've raised funds,” she said, “and a little bit, kind of in a kid friendly way, I try to teach them that it's really important to look in your community and see where we can raise some good karma or raise the spirit of people that might need a hand up. So just trying to teach them that value a little bit. And this event is one really easy and nice way to be able to do that.” [Minions]

Heather Ney said that when it comes to the Coldest Night of the Year, “ locals should care because having a home is paramount in people's mental and physical wellness, and that when people don't have a place to call home or food in their bellies, there are many negative outcomes for that. And particularly related to women and children, if they don't have a place to restart after seeing violence, have a reset, a place to call their own, and to recover and heal from the violence that may have been inflicted and the children have witnessed, sometimes those negative things repeat themselves in generations. So it's important that children have every opportunity for well being and a bright future. And I hope, or I know, that raising these kinds of funds and providing affordability and housing, the benefits are immeasurable.”

Nicole Minions encourages anyone in the community to join in the event.

“ I would just encourage anyone who hasn't come out to the Coldest Night of the Year, but wants to, just to go check out the website and join a team. You can join Team GOMOX, you can join another team, you can volunteer, but for anyone who hasn't participated, it's a really nice day and evening and I encourage anyone to come out if you haven't been and those who keep coming out, I say kudos to you for participating. I think we do amazing as a region,” Minions said.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Reporting done in the Comox Valley is done in partnership with CVOX.