The line of over 240 walkers stretched from St. Paul's Anglican Church down Commercial Street, past the library and past the conference centre.

My team was in the middle of the line but we could still hear the bag pipes marching at the front of the group. The sound of the pipes echoed off the downtown buildings and my friend and fellow walker leaned over to me and said, "This is really something to be a part of."

I looked around and everyone in the line near us had a grin or smile on their face. There is something powerful about joining together will fellow citizens in a worthy cause.

The Coldest Night of the Year is a national walk to support organizations in 38 Canadian communities who work hard to feed, house, and support people in their communities who are experiencing the crisis of homelessness. Island Crisis Care Society is the organization promoting the walk in Nanaimo.

On Tuesday July 24th, ICCS hosted a design charrette at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre where 30 participants from the community shared ideas and information related to the re-development of Samaritan House. The day began with a video tour of Samaritan House by Program Director Ronell Bosman, which culminates in a glimpse of the recently purchased lot beside Samaritan House where the new building will occur.

It is hoped that the redevelopment of the site will address 5 needs: