Night Light Walk in support of East Toronto shelters set for the Beach on Oct. 23

By ALAN SHACKLETON

The second annual Night Light Walk Toronto in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation’s Night Light Walk Toronto will be taking place on Thursday, Oct. 23, in the Beach.

The walk is held in a number of Canadian communities to help women and children experiencing domestic violence. The Beach walk will be raising funds the Red Door Family Shelter and Nellie’s shelter, both of which are located in East Toronto.

The three-kilometre walk begins and ends at Kew Gardens park on Queen Street East, and will travel through the Beach neighbourhood including Glen Manor Park, Ivan Forrest Gardens and along the Boardwalk.

The Night Light Walk in the Beach is the only one that takes place in Toronto and for the second year in a row is organized by Royal LePage Estate Realty.

Chris Dunlop, who is the Owner and Broker of Record for Royal LePage Estate Realty, said he is proud that his organization is presenting the walk in Toronto and he expects to be doing so for many years to come.

“One hundred per cent it is going to an annual thing,” said Dunlop in an interview with Beach Metro Community News last week in the Ivan Forrest Gardens parkette on Queen Street East.

Last year’s inaugural walk in the Beach raised more than $56,000 for the two East Toronto shelters, and the goal for this year’s walk is $75,000. Dunlop said after the success of the 2024 walk, there was no question that it would be held again in the Beach.

“We had so much community support and it was a no-brainer that we would be doing it again,” he said.

Dunlop said the walk sees tremendous participation and support from local residents and businesses, and its reach is also beginning to be felt beyond the East Toronto area.

“We do want to expand participation and the city is so big and a city of neighbourhoods,” he said. “We have very strong support in this community, but the walk is also starting to get traction in other parts of the city.”

Along with raising funds for an extremely important cause, the Night Light Walk in the Beach is also becoming popular with residents from across the city due to the location it is held in. Starting in scenic Kew Gardens and then walking through the Beach neighbourhood and along the Boardwalk is appealing to residents from across Toronto, said Dunlop.

One of the more emotional moments at last year’s walk was the candlelight vigil at the Leuty Lifeguard Station in honour of of those who had lost their lives as victims of intimate partner violence.

“That was a very high impact part of last year’s walk,” said Dunlop. “It was a place where people stopped to reflect and talk, and it was very emotional for some of the participants. But I believe it also empowered them by being able to talk and share.”

Dunlop said the Night Light Walk is both an opportunity to raise funds in support of Red Door and Nellies, but to also talk about the issue of domestic violence and that it can impact anyone regardless of economic or social status.

“It’s about having conversations about this very real issue in our community, and it’s a chance for people to share experiences at the event,” he said.

The Night Light Walk Toronto will begin at Kew Gardens on Oct. 23 at 6:15 p.m.

For information on how to take part, donate, or volunteer to help, please go to https://www.nightlightwalk.ca/ and click on the Toronto walk.