CARBONDALE, Ill., (WSIL) -- Organizers with the Carbondale Warming Center have an agenda - give people a place to come in, out of the cold. For the third year in a row, they're taking a national event, 'The Coldest Night of the Year' and giving it a local spin to benefit their facility. The 5k or 2k fundraising walk means to bring awareness to homelessness, the dangers of being outdoors in the cold and get the community involved in their mission.
Dina Hyde is an organizer for the fundraiser, and she says the event's purpose is what compelled her to get involved. "Four Years ago, I retired, and one of the things I wanted to do was give back. As I dug into the event, I realized I wanted to get involved."
This year, the '3rd Annual Coldest Night of the Year' fundraiser will be held on Saturday, February 22nd from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. The walk will start and finish at Carbondale Community High School. Hyde says, the Little Muddy Monster will also be walking with the group - serving as its mascot. In honor of that, local small business, Bestitched Crochet, worked their artistic magic on an adorable crochet miniature of the little monster.
This year, the group has a goal of $100,000, and there is still plenty of time for you to get involved. You can find additional information at their website:Â or you can check out the event Facebook page at: