Saturday, February 23, 2019, is the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY), a national walk-a-thon to support the homeless. This year, a team of students, faculty, staff, and supporters from the Island Medical Program (IMP) will participate in Victoria’s CNOY fundraiser—and they need your support.
Team organizer Emily Lerhe (IMP Class of 2022) sat down for a quick Q&A to give some background on the event and to let you know how you can get involved.
Emily Lehre (Class of 2022) is organizing an IMP team to participate in Victoria’s Coldest Night of the Year—and she needs your support.
What is the Coldest Night of the Year?
CNOY is an annual fundraising walking event that happens across Canada to help raise money for local charities supporting homeless populations. The goal of the walk-a-thon is to foster awareness and empathy for our community members experiencing homelessness. In our lovely city of Victoria, the CNOY event will raise funds for Our Place Society (OPS), a local community centre that offers transitional housing, meals, clothing, outreach services, counselling, and a tight-knit family to Victoria’s most vulnerable populations.
Why did you decide to participate?
I volunteered with OPS between 2016 and 2018 during the winter months, serving donated food and hot drinks to the family members. Since I started medical school last semester, I haven’t been able to volunteer with OPS—I miss it! I had heard of the CNOY event last year through OPS’s Facebook group. This year, I wanted to participate, and I thought it would be a wonderful idea to bring IMP staff, faculty, and students together for such a meaningful and local cause. I have seen the positive impact that OPS has on our community, homeless and not homeless. I also know for IMP students, as future medical professionals, community involvement is paramount for building trust and compassionate relationships, which leads to better health care. I believe there is no better way to build these foundations than participating in the CNOY walk with the IMP family. Hopefully we continue this tradition in years to come!
What are you and the IMP team doing for the event?
For CNOY, the IMP team is raising funds for OPS through online donations (see the link below). We will also be walking this Saturday representing IMP, the University of British Columbia, and the future medical professionals of BC.
How can others—those at IMP and the community in general—get involved?
If you or a loved one is affiliated with IMP, or if you would just like to walk with fun, caring, and passionate individuals, please come join us this Saturday! If you have prior commitments, we would greatly appreciate any donation you are able to contribute. You will receive an official tax receipt if your donation is over $25.
The walk will start and end at Victoria Pandora (919 Pandora Avenue). Registration for the event will open at 4 p.m., and the walk will begin at 5:15 p.m. Aside from the walk, this family-friendly evening will include music, food, entertainment, prizes, and an opportunity to connect with Victoria’s homeless community.
To donate to CNOY through the IMP team, please click the following secure link: https://bit.ly/2SNPErh.
To join the IMP team on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, please email Emily at emily.lerhe@alumni.ubc.ca as soon as possible.
**UPDATE**
With your help, the IMP team raised $1,000 for the homeless community in Victoria. Thank you so much for your support!