Around 300 people walked through downtown St. John's to support youth in need
As many as 300 people marched through the streets of downtown St. John's, starting from Atlantic Place and walking for an hour to represent the daily struggles faced by those without shelter and to raise awareness. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)
On Saturday afternoon, around 300 people gathered at Atlantic Place in downtown St. John's and took to the streets for an hour-long walk.
The annual Coldest Night of the Year walk is organized by Choices for Youth, a not-for-profit organization that helps young people facing homelessness. The walk aims to raise awareness for youth who wake up every day to the reality of being cold, hungry, and without shelter, says Katie Keats, the manager of funds and communications at Choices For Youth.
"We keep saying every year the need is now more than ever," Keats said. "This year is no different."
Similar walks occurred in 190 other cities, she said.
Keats said at Choices For Youth, they are seeing an increasing number of people seeking help.
"In the last year, we housed 179 young people and that's huge. But the reality is our waitlist still has about 150 young people on it," said Keats.
This year, they raised over $86,000, an increase from last year's walk, which brought in $72,000, she said. This money will go toward their programming, such as the organization's outreach centre that provides assistance such as hot meals and medical care among other services.
Katie Keats is the fund and communications manager for Choices For Youth. She says that leading up to the event, the organization raised $86,000. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)
People of all ages marched down sidewalk and held signs. Among those in the crowd were a mother and son who were participating together in the event for the first time.
"My son brought me," said Sharon Kent, who was joined by her son, Conner. "He was here last year and he asked me to come along and I was more than happy to help out."
"It's great to see all the support and it's great to see that this is the best year yet," said Kent. "They raised a lot more than they anticipated. It's fantastic. We need this. We really do."
Keats was also among the walkers and said the Choices For Youth team started working on this event in September and expressed gratitude for the 50 volunteers that made the event happen.
"People come here, they feel that they're part of something that's really essential," she said.
"There are people out here who are hungry, hurting, and homeless, and we're here to support," Keats said. "People come out because they get a sense of the event and they want to keep giving. And by that, it grows on other people and their friends and family. And again, it's very much a community-felt event."
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