By Matthew P. BarkerReporter
Students from a two Glenridge-area schools are taking part in the Coldest Night of the Year walk in St. Catharines, put on by Start Me Up Niagara (SMUN), after the organization reached out to their respective school boards looking to get students involved.
This year’s theme, “Across the Country, Close to Home,” will focus on the rising number of people experiencing homelessness in communities across the Niagara region.
Denis Morris Catholic High School and Oakridge Public School are encouraging students to take part in the Coldest Night of the Year walk as an opportunity to learn about social issues affecting their community.
“It’s a worthwhile event,” said Kevin O’Rourke, the high school’s guidance counsellor.
“It’s all good for kids to do community service … but this is a little more about community and it puts the service into the community, because we’re giving (them) an opportunity to see the (issues affecting) our community.”
He said some students are aware of the problem, but some might not be, so it highlights or “opens their eyes to the fact there is this need in St. Catharines.”
“It’s not a problem that’s just in the big cities, it’s not just a Toronto thing, when you’re walking down Yonge Street and you see people sitting on the corners,” he said.
“It’s happening in St. Catharines, it’s hard for them not to know. It’s hard to turn a blind eye to the fact we have people standing on off-ramps or on-ramps looking for donations.”
SMUN donor engagement co-ordinator Emily Fieguth said the agency reached out to both school boards in September, but because calendars are typically set in June, it was only able to get two schools to come on board.
Fieguth said Denis Morris students will be participating in the community walk, while Oakridge has set its own date and time to host an event.
Oakridge teacher and walk lead Kate Vaughan said the school on Marsdale Drive “has a long-standing commitment” supporting many community projects.
“This year, we’re excited to introduce a new initiative: our school’s version of the Coldest Night of the Year walk, with donations supporting Start Me Up Niagara,” she said in an email.
“Planning is underway and the date is set for the afternoon of Feb. 27. Modelled after the structure of our Terry Fox Run, the event will take place entirely on school property and bring students together, with older grades paired with younger peers to foster leadership and belonging.”
Fieguth said school involvement is a welcome addition to the walk.
“The Niagara region is far behind the other areas in the country, as schools are a big part of the walk and they do their own walk generally like the Terry Fox Run,” she said.
“The school sets up a team, and they collect their donations online, but they do their own walk on school premises, they don’t come to the big walk — they’re more than welcome, but they’d have to come with parents or guardians.”
O’Rourke said he hopes Denis Morris students will wear school-branded attire, either “the red hoodies or football hoodies,” as to be “a little bit more conspicuous,” and be seen in the community.
The Coldest Night of the Year walk will be held in five Niagara communities and benefit not-for-profit charities: West Niagara’s YWCA Niagara Region, St. Catharines’ SMUN, Welland’s Open Arms Mission, Niagara Falls’ Project Share and Fort Erie’s Brain Injury Association.
Coldest Night of the Year Walks in Niagara
Niagara Falls
St. Paul Catholic High School, 3834 Windermere Rd.
cnoy.org/location/niagarafalls
Welland
Niagara College, 100 Niagara College Blvd.
cnoy.org/location/welland
West Niagara
Mountainview Christian Reformed Church, 290 Main St. E., Grimsby
cnoy.org/location/westniagara
Fort Erie
Greater Fort Erie Secondary School, 1640 Garrison Rd.
cnoy.org/location/forterie
All CNOY walks/runs start with check-in at 4 p.m. and a 5 p.m. send-off, offering either a 2 kilometre, or five-kilometre course, finishing at 7 p.m., except Welland’s event, which begins and ends an hour earlier.
Last year, walks across Niagara raised a combined $487,000 from 1,266 participants.
Start Me Up Niagara changed its traditional walk downtown, moving it to Niagara Pen Centre at 221 Glendale Ave.
For more information, go to cnoy.org/location/stcatharines.
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