WATTS President leads national homeless walk in Winchester, VA

4pm – Meet (check-in + welcome)

4:30 pm - Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears message

5pm – Walk begins and send-off

6pm – Munch (simple soup kitchen + mingle and reflect)

7pm – Teambuilding and see you again in 2025!

WATTS (Winchester Area Temporary Transitional Shelter) will host their 2nd annual ‘Coldest Night of the Year’ (CNOY) Walk on Saturday, February 24, 2024. This winter-friendly, family-friendly fundraiser walk takes place in over 40 participating cities all over the U.S. that day; it is an international event that started in Canada in 2011.

The highlight of the send off ceremony is the special guest speaker, Winsome Earle-Sears, Lt Governor of Virginia. She is expected to deliver a heartfelt message of hope and love to all who participate in the CNOY Walk. The Lt. Governor's presence at the event is a testament to the importance of supporting WATTS in their mission to end homelessness one life at a time in Winchester, Frederick, and Clarke Counties. The walk departs at 5 pm.

Anyone who wants to join the Walk, scheduled to step off at 5:00 pm on Saturday, February 24, should register online (see below) to accept the required waiver. There is an option to choose the 2-kilometer (1.25 mile) or 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) Walk, both of which follow along sidewalks through downtown Winchester and start and end at Braddock Street United Methodist Church (115 Wolfe Street in Winchester). The total event time is between 4 pm and 7 pm. Participants are encouraged to donate money and solicit financial sponsorships between now and then, all to help WATTS, but registration is completely free, and contributions are not required. An incentive, however, is that anyone who raises at least $150 (or $75 for youth aged 17 and under) will receive a 2024 Coldest Night of the Year winter beanie to recognize their awesome fundraising efforts!

Children aged 12 and under must always be accompanied by a parent or guardian on the Walk, and pets are not allowed due to insurance regulations.

WATTS is enthusiastic about hosting the Walk for Winchester, VA, again this year – last year, they were the second-largest location for a CNOY event in the U.S.! Over 400 walkers, and 59 teams raised $65,000 to support WATTS’s mission to end homelessness one life at a time in Winchester, Frederick, and Clarke Counties. This year, WATTS’ goal is to earn the number one spot across the entire U.S., so they need your help.

The Board President for WATTS, Mike Ashby, is a local businessman who has challenged the community to partner with WATTS in supporting the 2024 CNOY Winchester event.
Ashby recently shared his epic plan of attack to spread awareness about the Walk and solicit donations. “I picked one area to focus on and then went after it: social media, specifically Facebook,” Ashby said.

Ashby targeted his favorite Facebook Groups, such as former softball teammates (he asked them to donate the amount that equals their jersey number), his James Wood High School Alumni friends, and then popular groups such as Frederick County Social Collective, What’s Happening Winchester/Frederick County, and Let’s Talk About Winchester and Frederick County.

“I tag between 25 – 50 people in each group. I have found that tagging smaller groups gets the attention of Facebook users better than tagging larger groups. I identify the event, the date and time, the need for donations, and just go with it,” said Ashby.

Ashby continues, “I do not have a ton of deep pockets in my circle of friends but, I know we have big hearts within my sphere of influence. I figured my best chance for success was to try and solicit as many donations as I could regardless of the amount. No donation amount is too small – I always include the catchphrase, ‘snowballs make snowmen,’ to impress upon folks that all amounts are appreciated." Through his approach, Ashby has garnered over 50 donations so far.

Ashby also personally thanks everyone who donates via a private message; acknowledgment is a key part of successful fundraising and goes a long way. Ashby’s seven-person team is in seventh place nationwide for funds raised. As the general team for WATTS that anyone is welcome to join and walk with, all donations gifted generically come into this team. Overall, WATTS finished with 95 teams registered and 719 walkers. They held on to the second-place position for all U.S. locations.

With just two weeks to go, Ashby and the WATTS Board are pushing hard to reach WATTS’ goal of $65,000, 100 teams, and over 700 walkers this year.

WATTS is grateful for its cooperative relationship with the City of Winchester to host this event, and to the Winchester Sheriff’s Office, Winchester Police Department, and Winchester Fire & Rescue Department for their planned presence and coordination assistance on Walk Day, as well as their support year-round.

Registration and more information about Coldest Night of the Year is available at https://cnoy.com/location/winc...

Donations for CNOY will be accepted through March 31, 2024.