GUELPH POLITICAST #68 - Ted Drewlo, The Coldest Night of the Year

This is probably not the type of weather you want when you're holding a fundraiser called "The Coldest Night of the Year," but on the other hand, if you want to rally people to come out and walk between two and ten kilometres to raise money for charity, this is maybe just the kind of weather you want.

Yes, it's that time of year again for CNOY, an annual fundraiser held in over 100 communities across Canada. It was the brainchild of Blue Sea Philanthropy in Kitchener, a way to raise money for charities that feed, cloth, shelter and support the poor and homeless by giving participants a small taste of what they face on a nightly basis. In the Royal City, the money raised goes to help support the programs of Lakeside Hope House. Ted Drewlo has been the director of Hope House's CNOY efforts for the last two years.

With its various community partners, Hope House puts together several programs to help Guelph's poor including a Food Market, the HOPE Stylin’ Haircuts and Clothing Bureau, the community Edu-Kitchen, the HOPE-in-Motion program, a Back-to-School Backpack Program, a daily café, and Christmas hampers. That kind of support doesn't come cheap, so the funds raised during CNOY is just a fraction of the fundraising that needs to be done in a given year. It's also an important reminder that there are a lot of people in the Royal City that need a lot of help. 

So on this week's Guelph Politicast, I talk to Ted Drewlo about organizing the Coldest Night of the Year, how you can get involved, and the challenges facing the poor in Guelph and those trying to help them.

For more information on the Guelph chapter of the Coldest Night of the Year, or to find out how to get involved, click here. To learn more about the work done by Lakeside Hope House click here. 

The theme music for the Guelph Politicast is from the KPM Klassics collection by Syd Dale.

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