WOODSTOCK, Ont. — Execulink Telecom today announced it has made its first 2021 community donation to the Coldest Night of the Year initiative in Woodstock, in support of The Inn of Oxford, Oxford County’s only emergency shelter.
The Coldest Night of the Year’s annual walk event was founded 11 years ago in Kitchener-Waterloo and is now held in more than 150 Canadian cities coast-to-coast. Each city raises funds for a local shelter in its community, with more than $6.5 million collectively raised as of 2020.
“As this was the first-ever Coldest Night Event in Oxford County, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of community involvement, but I’ve been blown away!” says event director Scott McKague, in a press release. “Even with the announcement earlier in January that we’d need to cancel the in-person group walk due to the lockdown, the number of people signing up and the amount of funds being donated hasn’t slowed at all. In fact, I think it’s gained in momentum since then!”
“We’re thrilled to be kicking off a new year of giving back to our local communities with the Coldest Night of the Year donation,” adds Ian Stevens, president and CEO of Execulink. “Our service communities are also our homes. This is as simple for us as supporting our family in a time of need and we are delighted to be able to do so.”
As of today, the Woodstock Coldest Night of the Year event has seen 158 walkers on 34 teams contribute to the cause, with the support of sponsors such as Execulink bolstering the contributions to raise more than $31,000 so far for the Inn of Oxford shelter. For more information about the virtual fundraising event, please visit cnoy.org/location/woodstock.
