Central Station walk smashes goal, raises $83K

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Walking for a cause

While Mother Nature may have poked fun at the event’s name by offering up some truly unseasonably warm weather, Central Station’s Coldest Night of the Year walk was another monumental success for the agency Saturday.

About 220 people gathered at the Winkler community centre that evening to take part in 2 km or 5 km walks around town in support of programs that help vulnerable individuals and families in Winkler.

“It’s not really the coldest night of the year, but we’re thankful for the sunshine we have today,” executive director Anita Wiebe told the assembled crowd just before they set out. “You are all part of something much bigger than just a walk here today. We’re walking in support of Central Station and the work that they do to connect with folks that are hurt and hurting, that are hungry, and that are at risk of homelessness.”

The organization had set a fundraising goal of $50,000. At press time Monday, the online tracker showed the event had raised $83,241.

In addition to the jaunt around town, participants also got the chance to enjoy bonfires and carnival games before the walk and a free meal back at Central Station afterwards.

“We’re super grateful to the community again,” Wiebe said Monday, noting they anticipate the event’s final total will increase as a few more donations trickle in this week. “It’s just been continued support. When we come with a need, the community responds. It’s been cool to see.”

Photo by Ashleigh Viveiros/Voice

Ashleigh Viveiros
Ashleigh Viveiros
Editor, Winkler Morden Voice and Altona Rhineland Voice. Ashleigh has been covering the goings-on in the Pembina Valley since 2000, starting as cub reporter on the high school news beat for the former Winkler Times and working her way up to the editor’s chair at the Winkler Morden Voice (2010) and Altona Rhineland Voice (2022). Ashleigh has a passion for community journalism, sharing the stories that really matter to people and helping to shine a spotlight on some of the amazing individuals, organizations, programs, and events that together create the wonderful mosaic that is this community. Under her leadership, the Voice has received numerous awards from the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association, including Best All-Around Newspaper, Best in Class, and Best Layout and Design. Ashleigh herself has been honoured with multiple writing awards in various categories—tourism, arts and culture, education, history, health, and news, among others—and received a second-place nod for the Reporter of the Year Award in 2022. She has also received top-three finishes multiple times in the Better Communities Story of the Year category, which recognizes the best article with a focus on outstanding local leadership and citizenship, volunteerism, and/or non-profit efforts deemed innovative or of overall benefit to community living.  It’s these stories that Ashleigh most loves to pursue, as they truly depict the heart and soul of the community. In her spare time, Ashleigh has been involved as a volunteer with United Way Pembina Valley, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley, and the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre.

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