Coldest Night of the Year 2022
The Cowichan Valley's first Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) was held on February 26th, 2022. Almost 500 people in Duncan joined thousands of others in 150+ cities across Canada for a family friendly, winter walk in support of youth experiencing hunger, hurt, and homelessness in the Cowichan Valley.
CNOY is something special - it’s fun, meaningful, and a little challenging. CMHA Cowichan Valley Branch is also something special, and our work and service in the community are essential. Our CNOY 2022 goal was to raise $50,000 and we were extremely pleased to raise over $90,000 to create a safe space and programs for homeless youth in the Cowichan Valley. Fundraising for this project is ongoing.
Equally valuable was the energy of the event and witnessing the community coming together to show at risk youth that they are not forgotten. It was incredibly heartwarming to see individuals, businesses and community groups come together in kindness to make a positive impact.
We were pleased to work with Fish On Productions to create three videos to support this event:
Message from Cowichan Leaders #CNOY22:
Quw’utsun Tzinquaw Drummers & Singers #CNOY22
Spoken Word: Let's Go For a Walk performed by Switch
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen!
This phenomenal first year success would not have been possible without the support of our 42 volunteers, 67 team captains and 494 walkers. We are already looking forward to next year - mark your calendars for Saturday, February 25, 2023.
CNOY run in partnership with the Blue Sea Foundation (another charity). For more information about Coldest Night of the Year, please visit www.cnoy.org/
The Coldest Night of the Year is a moment when tens of thousands of Canadians step outside the warmth and comfort of home and shine a light of welcome and inclusion. We are very excited that the CMHA Cowichan Valley Branch is partnering with the Blue Sea Foundation to will be participate annually in the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY). Our first event was held on February 26, 2022.
In partnership with the Blue Sea Foundation, we're collecting donations that fund critical services to supports vulnerable families and individuals in our community.
- We walk through the cold and dark to declare our concern for people who have no home and take shelter in nooks and crannies.
- We walk for those whose days are a battle to house and feed their families and whose nights are filled with fear and frustration.
- We walk for those driven from home by violence and abuse. And we walk for people overwhelmed by isolation, guilt, and despair.
- We walk humbly, realizing that anyone can lose their footing and then lose everything else.
Each step we take brings someone closer to safety, health and home, as together, we raise funds for to transform peoples’ lives.
Funds raised will help CMHA Cowichan Valley to create a safe space and programs for homeless youth.
CNOY is something special - it’s fun, meaningful, and a little challenging. CMHA Cowichan Valley Branch is also something special, and our work and service in the community are essential.
We need your help to make this happen!
In December of each year, we begin recruiting sponsors, volunteers, team captains and walkers. Teams of walkers can include corporate, community, sports or other teams - or families and groups of friends that want to support family members or friends that have struggled with mental health. There are so many options and the potential impact to the community is great.
Please consider joining us by supporting this great event.
Welcome to the CMHA Cowichan Valley Branch
CMHA Cowichan Valley Branch respectfully acknowledges that we carry out our work on the unceded territory of the Quw'utsun Nation, which is comprised of the Cowichan Tribes with villages at Somena', Kwa'mutsun, Hwulqw'selu, Qu'umiqun, Xinupsum, Tl'lulpalus and Lhumlhumuluts'; as well as the Xul'el''t'hu (Halalt), Stz'uminus, Leeyq’sun (Lyackson), Pune’luxutth’ (Penelakut) and Malahat territories.
As one of Canada’s oldest voluntary associations, founded in 1918, CMHA is the only charity dealing with all aspects of mental health and illness. The strength of our organization is in its people. We treat all people with respect, honesty, and trust, and seek every opportunity to preserve human dignity through equality, fairness, and respecting freedom of choice. The primary focus of this organization is the rights and needs of persons involved in the mental health system.
Our Vision: Mentally healthy people in a healthy society.
Our Mission: As a locally-based champion for mental health, CMHA-CVB facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness and addiction.
Our Key Values and Principles:
- Embracing the voice of people with mental health and addiction issues
- Promoting inclusion
- Working collaboratively
- Influencing the social determinants of health (e.g. housing, justice)
- Focusing on the mental health needs of all age groups
- Using evidence to inform our work
- Being transparent and accountable