Night Light Walk in the Beach for local shelters Nellie’s and Red Door set for Oct. 22

For the third year in a row the Beach will play host to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation’s Night Light Walk Toronto this month.

The third annual walk through the Beach neighbourhood and along the Boardwalk is slated for the night of Thursday, Oct. 22.

The three-kilometre walk begins and ends at Kew Gardens park on Queen Street East. It 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 it is organized by Royal LePage Estate Realty.

Held in a number of Canadian communities each year, the Night Light Walk helps women and children experiencing domestic violence. The Beach walk will be raising funds for the Red Door Family Shelter and Nellie’s shelter, both of which are located in East Toronto.

Chris Dunlop, Owner and Broker of Record for Royal LePage Estate Realty, said the support of the entire East Toronto community has made the walk in the Beach an overwhelming success when it comes to raising both money and awareness.

“The support from the community is invaluable,” he said.

“When people in need, and those who help people in need, see a community come together to support their issue, it’s incredibly empowering and it’s a very positive experience. It validates the work they are doing and that the community sees the value of that work. Just bringing people together in its own right is incredibly empowering.”

The fundraising goal for this year’s Night Light Walk in the Beach is $60,000. The first walk in 2024 raised more than $56,000, and the 2025 walk raised $58,000.

“The organizations that support women and children who are escaping violence and help them to re-establish their lives so that can be safe is an under-resourced service. The reality is that every dollar that we raise to support them is used to make sure they can continue to do the work they do,” said Dunlop.

He said raising funds is a key objective of the walk, but bringing community members together to discuss the issue of domestic violence is also of vital importance.

“The reality is one in two women have experienced some form of violence in their lives and it’s a very significant issue that is present in all neighbourhoods and all communities, and the reality is that includes our own. So raising awareness in our community is an important part of dealing with the issue,” said Dunlop.

The walk has a number of symbolic moments along the route including the crossing of the Glen Manor Bridge and also a memorial of lights in the shape of a heart placed on the beach in front of the Leuty Lifeguard Station.

Dunlop said the memorial is a place where many stop to think of those they have known who have been victims of domestic violence.

“There’s no question that the memorial, the purple heart that we put on the beach, is the most impactful moment for those that are walking,” he said.

The walk as a whole though is also very important to the participants, and Dunlop said organizers are grateful to the many residents along the route who provide support and encouragement to the participants.

“I think the power of actually just coming together as a community and talking about the issue and acknowledging the issue, and raising funds to support the organizations that are helping the families escaping violence is very powerful,” he said.

“But also the support we’ve had from the neighbours in the community. It’s not every day you have 300 people walk by your home. Those neighbours have put lights out and put signs on their lawns, and so the symbol of that support as well from those whose homes are on the route is very special.”

This year’s Royal LePage Shelter Foundation Night Light Walk Toronto is slated to begin in Kew Gardens on Oct. 22 at 6:15 p.m.

For information on how to register to take part, make a donation, become a sponsor or help out on the night as a volunteer, please go to https://shelterfoundation.akaraisin.com/ui/NightLightWalk/g/50709