Wayfinders Ohio invites the public to bundle up, lace up their walking shoes, and join them for Mansfield’s first annual Coldest Night of the Year 5k walk on February 25, 2023 from 4-7 p.m.
Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) is an international fundraising event to bring awareness to the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness during the winter months. Mansfield will be one of 22 cities across the United States and over 100 cities across Canada participating in this year’s event.
“Experiencing homelessness is a crisis regardless of what month it is,” said Kelly Blankenship, Executive Director at Wayfinders Ohio. “But experiencing homelessness during winter in Ohio is a whole new level of hard.”
Blankenship continued, “I think that’s what makes this event so different from any other type of fundraising event. It gives people an opportunity to have a small taste of the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness right here in our community during winter. And it’s a fun way to gather family and friends to raise support and actively contribute to helping people find freedom from their homelessness.”
Participants can choose to either walk a 2k or 5k during this year’s event. Everyone will start their walk from the North Lake Park Pavilion. Those who choose the 5k path will continue down 6th Street to downtown. Once downtown they will head up Main street and loop back to North Lake Park following 3rd Street. There will be rest stops and snacks along the way, including stops at the current shelter as well as a potential expansion site. The walk will conclude back at North Lake Park with hot soup for all participants.
Community members are encouraged to organize teams of family and friends to walk together and raise funds to help Wayfinders Ohio continue to bring hope and much needed support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Those who are unable to attend the walk on February 25th are encouraged to rally their team and self-organize their own 2k or 5k walk at any time during the month of February.
Registration for the event is completely free. You can register to walk by yourself, join a team or start your own team on the Wayfinders Ohio CNOY website. Teams can set up an online donation page with their fundraising goals. 100% of the money raised will go directly to Wayfinders Ohio to help those experiencing homelessness right here in Mansfield.
“We are thankful for all of our supporters throughout the year who donate money and materials to help us run the shelter. But there’s a lot more we have planned. It’s our goal to raise $20,000 through CNOY,” said Blankenship.
To create a team or donate to an individual participant or team, visit the Mansfield CNOY event page here.
About Wayfinders Ohio: At Wayfinders Ohio, we know you want your donation to make an impact and spark change. You don’t want to just put a bandaid on an issue. Neither do we. When you support Wayfinders Ohio you are not only meeting immediate needs of families and individuals in a homeless crisis. You are giving them access to a structure of united services of medical, mental health and employment that will help them address the root causes of their homelessness so they find long-term freedom from their struggles. It’s more than providing a bed and a meal. It’s changing lives. For more information on Wayfinders Ohio visit our website at www.wayfindersohio.org.
