The annual Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) walk is set to take place on Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. at Riverfront Park in downtown Fredericksburg.
Micah Ecumenical Ministries has hosted a local iteration of the fundraiser for the past three years, and the nonprofit organization hopes to continue generating donations toward its work addressing homelessness throughout the region.
CNOY is a fundraiser that originated in Canada to support local charities and programs that help those in difficult housing situations.
“It’s about the community showing up to support the work that Micah does so that people won’t have to sleep outside,” said Jill Clare, executive administrator at Micah.
Participants can choose between a 2 or 5k course that weaves through the sidewalks of downtown, in close proximity to areas where the unhoused either live or receive services. Money raised goes directly into Micah’s general operations fund, Clare said.
According to Clare, the first CNOY led by Micah in 2022 tripled an initial fundraising goal of $60,000 with more than 500 people participating. The success of the first walk encouraged Micah to continue hosting the CNOY.
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To register for this year’s CNOY walk, visit the fundraiser’s website before Feb. 21.
“The first year was not a fluke,” she said.
According to Clare, the second CNOY saw an increase in attendees, which led to the event being moved from Hurkamp Park to Riverfront Park to accommodate the larger crowd.
“The whole first-year experience was really gratifying for us as staff and all the volunteers who work with us, day in and day out,” she said.
For this year’s event, Fredericksburg currently sits atop the CNOY scoreboard, leading 59 locations in both total donations ($124,176.43) and the number of walkers (562).
Micah has been serving the community for nearly two decades; this summer they will celebrate their 20th anniversary. The organization provides many services like showers, bag lunches, or a mailing address to those in difficult housing situations. But services are not limited to those who are homeless as Micah has an open-door policy.
“So, if you show up at Micah and you’re not homeless but you’re hungry we’ll give you a bag lunch,” Clare said.
One of Micah’s newest and most ambitious endeavors is the Jeremiah Community, which is a single-site permanent, supportive housing option. To date, Micah has secured $7 million of their $17.5 million goal needed to establish the community, which cleared public hurdles at Fredericksburg’s planning commission and city council in recent months.
“We can and will break ground at the site before that full goal is reached,” Clare said.
To register for this year’s CNOY walk, visit the fundraiser’s website before Feb. 21.
