From the heat of summer to the BIG CHILL of winter, participants are being encouraged to register now for the return of this February 28 challenge outside Middleton.
The BIG CHILL is a fundraiser for youth-at-risk in Annapolis County, where one in three youth live in poverty. Funds help youth with clothing, food hampers, training courses, dental work, scholarships for higher education and more.
This year, says organizer Jamie Peppard, one of the event founders, funds will also help seven families still recovering from the Long Lake wildfire disaster. Their uninsured homes were lost, and emergency funding for their temporary AirBnBs and apartments runs out in August. Lawrencetown Education Centre, where Peppard is principal and students have long supported the BIG CHILL with trail preparation and day-of event management, has partnered with the Housing Construction Council, EMO and three Rotary Clubs to build six small homes.
“As I look across the street and see current and former students working in the snow setting up 40-foot laminated beams on engineered blocks they built, I couldn’t be prouder!” Peppard says. “Our students have delivered food to victims of the fire, delivered supplies to the men and women who fought the fire, and hosted all the families here at LEC for a big chicken dinner. Now they are working with a Red Seal carpenter to replace homes.
“It has been a difficult year for sure, but these youth are learning first-hand you don’t have to be wealthy to make to big difference in the lives of those who have lost everything – kindness and hard work go a long way.”
The BIG CHILL is a visible way for people to add to community development efforts. Register individually or as a team at givetolive.ca/chill for either a five-, 15- or 30-kilometre snowshoe route. Organizers advise early sign-up to allow for fundraising and training (don’t skip the hills!). Registration is $60: first responders are half that, and youth 12 and under are free for the 5km challenge (with a registering adult). The route includes an organized base camp, wooded trails with beautiful views and warming stations – and added surprises! If you don’t have snowshoes, borrow or rent a set from a number of community loan programs (check out a resource list on Hike Nova Scotia’s website). The February 28 no-snow alternative is March 7, when it will run either as a snowshoe or winter hike event. Fundraising remains open through individual and team sponsorships, or by online donation, to March 31.
It takes many community partners to put on the BIG CHILL, including LEC, the Rotary Club of Middleton, Annapolis County Search and Rescue, the Town of Middleton, RBC, Patagonia, Smokehouse Brewery, Courtyard Marriott and the many local landowners that allow the BIG CHILL route to cross their properties.
Register and find out more about the BIG CHILL at givetolive.ca/chill, and follow along on Facebook or in the Facebook Event
