Changing the tune for those experiencing hurt, hunger and homelessness is one of the goals a local group has for this year’s Coldest Night of the Year event.
Wood’s Homes Regional Associate Director for Lethbridge Shauna Cohen says this is the third year the organization is taking part in the Coldest Night of the Year and hopes to raise awareness about the risk of those who are dealing with or facing homelessness.
“We help young people under the age of 18 with a safe place to stay,” Cohen says. “I think even though we’ve been doing it so long, people still don’t know about us.”
She says since last January the organization has helped 175 young people with a variety of services including Youth Connection – THE CORE Emergency Youth Shelter, the Lethbridge Opportunity Hub, youth intensive case management and youth navigation support.
This year Wood’s Homes financial goal for the event is $20,000, but Cohen says even the smallest donation counts with these funds going towards making an essential positive impact on their client’s lives. As of January 31st, 22 per cent of this goal equalling $4,550 has been raised.
“Those funds raised stay directly in Lethbridge and they actually help to support young people throughout the various programs with individualized support. So when we get a contract for a particular service, sometimes there are not a lot of extras that can go to individualized support. So when we look at that, we think, OK, what does this mean? What could it be? It could be anything from school fees, to medical prescriptions, new shoes or it could be clothes for a new job.”
Cohen says even those who can’t financially donate are encouraged to take part in the walk as the organization as a whole works towards ending the stigmas around mental health as well and the positive impacts that can be made.
‘We actually have we’re going to share a little bit of a success story from our peer mentor who’s gone through some services and been provided some support. She’s going to share a little bit about her journey, her strengths and where she is now.”
The Wood’s Homes event is happening on Saturday, February 22nd and will kick off a Nikka Yuko Japenese Garden with a 2-kilometre or 5-kilometre route that can be walked around Henderson Lake. Chek-in will start at 4 p.m. with the walk kicking off at 5 p.m. More information on the event can be found here.
