On Saturday, February 25, participants of all ages will walk through downtown, raising money for those who are experiencing homelessness.

Many homeless Winnipeggers are stuck living and sleeping outside all year long, even through the winter. The Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY), hosted by Resource Assistance for Youth, is a two, five, or ten kilometre walk through the downtown to experience just a bit of the cold weather challenge those who live on the streets face every day. Participants raise money through pledges, with a goal of raising more than $60,000 for Resource Assistance for Youth, who works with homeless youth from age 18 - 29.

While other CNOY events have gotten down to -35°C, the temperature on Saturday, is only expected to dip to -16°C. But that won't change the way organizers and participants approach the walk.

"I think it still drives home the point," event director Monica Derksen said of the event. "We're not trying to simulate homelessness, just to remind people that it can be cold." Participants on the 10km will really start to feel it, as that can take two hours.

The walk starts at the Manitoba Hydro building on Portage Avenue, then heads west on Portage to Broadway, then take Broadway east to Sherbrook, where they will stop in at Resource Assistance for Youth's building. The walk then heads back to Portage before finishing where it started.

"We like people to be walking downtown because it draws more attention to downtown," Derksen said. "We also wanted people to have a chance to stop at [Resource Assistance for Youth] so they could see the building."

The three different distances make it easy for people of all ages to join in. If you want to join in, there is a minimum fundraising goal of $150 per person. If you don't want to fundraise, you can still participate in the walk. It's a $25 registration fee that still goes toward the fundraising goal. You can register your team here.