District Chair expresses appreciation to Coldest Night of the Year participants
The District of Muskoka Chair, Jeff Lehman, expressed appreciation to people that participated in the Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk, in the March 18, 2024, Council meeting.
The event took place in Gravenhurst on February 24th and was hosted by the charity, Gravenhurst Against Poverty (GAP).
Councillors that participated were Brenda Rhodes, Tatiana Sutherland, Peter Koetsier, and Peter Johnston.
Lehman announced, “Councillor, Robert Lacroix, was the single largest fundraiser of anyone in the Gravenhurst walk.”
The event is the largest in Canada with the goal to raise money for people that are homeless explained Lehman.
He said that the DMM participated this year as the District Dazzlers, one of the fundraising teams that included both Council members and staff, and plan to have their own team again next year when the event is held in Huntsville.
He requested that District staff attend today’s Council meeting so he could express his appreciation to them too. He said, “I just wanted to say thank you and recognize you and Council for raising to this cause, for being part of the team.”
He added, “The Gravenhurst walk was 9th in the entire country. It raised $176,000 to benefit Gravenhurst Against Poverty, which is 141% of its goal, and that is the largest total ever for the Gravenhurst walk.”
In a ‘Special Message,’ about the Coldest Night of the Year, GAP Chair, Beth Houston, indicates that they feed more than 700 people and runs various social programs in the area. She adds, “We strive to be creative and innovative and to be responsive to the challenges faced by those in need in our community.”
According to Lehman, 50 teams participated in the event, with 337 walkers of the 2km or 5km walk.
The District raised $19,953 for the event, which went to GAP “who help the hungry, homeless, and hurting in Muskoka,” added Lehman.
He also expressed appreciation to everyone in Muskoka that attended the walk. He said, “It was really great to see all of the Muskoka effort… It’s just a wonderful event and everyone’s generosity was really remarkable.”
Lacroix admitted that it took a little nudge by the Chair to do the walk, but he appreciated him organizing it. He said, “Councillors, they tend to rely on other people to push them to do things, and I know for myself I wouldn’t have gone into the event if you hadn’t of encouraged us to join the team that already started.”
