92%$27,631Goal: $30,000

Ottawa

Illinois Valley PADS

115 Walkers|18 Teams|14 Volunteers

The Coldest Night of the Year is a winterrific family-friendly fundraising walk in support of local charities. Let’s gather together for people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness... because it’s cold out there.

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Web: ivpads.com

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About Illinois Valley PADS

Join Us for the Coldest Night of the Year – February 28, 2026

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Illinois Valley PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) provides transformative programs, resources, and advocacy for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in LaSalle, Bureau, and Putnam counties. Again this year, we're partnering with Coldest Night of the Year USA, a family-friendly winter walk that raises funds and awareness for people facing the harsh realities of life without a home.

On February 28, 2026, we'll gather at Jordan Block in Ottawa, Illinois, and walk a one-mile route going north on La Salle St., crossing over Canal Towpath and back down Columbus St., symbolizing the journey our neighbors in need endure every day. Together, we'll shine a light on homelessness while raising vital funds to help IV PADS continue to offer dignity, respect, and support.

Be part of something meaningful - We forming 27 teams to walk and fundraise. Start a team, join a team, or support a walker to help us reach our goal and make a difference. Sign up or learn more at cnoy.com/location/Ottawa

Ottawa Scoreboard

Are you thrashing the competition (for a good cause)? Find out here! Stats are updated every 15 minutes. See how you stack up on the national scoreboard >

Teams

Walkers

#	Team Name	Captain	Members	Raised
1	Carus	Jake Kowalczyk	9	5,370.00
2	Keep HOPE Alive	Hope Alyea	2	5,100.00
3	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	Kenneth Brown	11	3,610.00
4	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa	LInda Cooper	21	3,305.00
5	Advantech Corporation	Ann Simmons	12	2,132.00
6	First National Bank of Ottawa	Mary Beth LeSeure	6	1,450.00
7	PEO sisters -chapter EH	Diane Gassman	2	1,375.00
8	Ottawa PADSicles	Brittany Smith	11	835.00
9	IV PADS Board	Thomas Rooney	5	670.00
10	His Hands	Candice Tinson	6	660.00
11	Aglow Collective	Justine Larabee	7	620.00
12	IV PADS General Team	Susan Garner	2	545.00
13	LilyPads and tadpoles peru	Jen Ringhofer	1	420.00
14	LPHS Interact	Julie Jenkins	2	405.00
15	Illinois Valley Community College	Crystal Credi	3	375.00
16	LaSalle County Cruisers	Craig Glogowski	3	300.00
17	Shepherd Middle School- SADD and Student Council	Macayla Gerdovich	1	200.00
18	Lily Pads Too Bullfrogs	Amanda Zachary	4	74.00

#	Name	Team Name	Donors	Raised
1	Hope Alyea	Keep HOPE Alive	2	5,100.00
2	LInda Cooper	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa	1	3,305.00
3	Mary Beth LeSeure	First National Bank of Ottawa	5	700.00
4	Donna Martin	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	4	550.00
5	Jennifer Amy-Dressler	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	6	510.00
6	Thomas Rooney	IV PADS Board	4	450.00
7	Jen Ringhofer	LilyPads and tadpoles peru	1	420.00
8	Karen Nussbaum	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	2	400.00
9	Heidi Nelson	Aglow Collective	2	350.00
10	Julie Wheatland	First National Bank of Ottawa	2	300.00
11	Susan Garner	IV PADS General Team	5	295.00
12	Diane Gassman	PEO sisters -chapter EH	3	275.00
13	Mary Malinsky	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	5	275.00
14	Julie Jenkins	LPHS Interact	7	275.00
15	Stefany Wilkans	His Hands	2	270.00
16	Carol Alcorn	IV PADS General Team	1	250.00
17	Michelle Brady-Ebener	Carus	9	240.00
18	Lanie Vaughn	Ottawa PADSicles	4	225.00
19	Jayne McDonald	First National Bank of Ottawa	6	205.00
20	Candice Tinson	His Hands	1	200.00
21	Sarah Reckmeyer	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	1	200.00
22	Donald Moore	Illinois Valley Community College	3	200.00
23	Mindy Sheely	Advantech Corporation	2	200.00
24	Macayla Gerdovich	Shepherd Middle School- SADD and Student Council	1	200.00
25	Kenneth Brown	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	3	200.00
26	Steve Moyer	His Hands	1	190.00
27	Amy Thomas	First National Bank of Ottawa	5	170.00
28	Marissa Trumper	Ottawa PADSicles	1	150.00
29	Belinda Janes	Ottawa PADSicles	1	130.00
30	Robert Fuchs	Ottawa PADSicles	1	130.00
31	Dave McClure	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	1	100.00
32	Joanne Sheldon	IV PADS Board	1	100.00
33	Colleen Mcclure	PEO sisters -chapter EH	1	100.00
34	Stephanie Ruppert	Advantech Corporation	2	100.00
35	Ali Braboy		1	100.00
36	Craig Glogowski	LaSalle County Cruisers	1	100.00
37	Carrie Fuchs	Ottawa PADSicles	1	100.00
38	Randy Hanck	Advantech Corporation	1	100.00
39	Molly Breslin, Sam, Joey, & Lena Barbour	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	1	100.00
40	Michael Dougherty	LaSalle County Cruisers	1	100.00
41	Ann Simmons	Advantech Corporation	1	100.00
42	Sharon Loudon	Open Table Church Walking Wonders	2	100.00
43	Melissa Ruvalcaba	Aglow Collective	3	95.00
44	Heather Pursley	Aglow Collective	2	75.00
45	Stephanie Larsen	Advantech Corporation	3	75.00
46	Hailey Larsen	Advantech Corporation	2	75.00
47	Amanda Zachary	Lily Pads Too Bullfrogs	1	74.00
48	Ellen Evancheck	Illinois Valley Community College	1	50.00
49	Bob Day	Ottawa PADSicles	1	50.00
50	Sue Saar	First National Bank of Ottawa	1	50.00
51	Emily Pytel	Advantech Corporation	1	50.00
52	Scott Ruppert	Advantech Corporation	1	50.00
53	Stan Simmons	Advantech Corporation	1	50.00
54	Ashley Gatza	Carus	2	45.00
55	Ava Engels	LPHS Interact	1	30.00
56	Jeanne Ogden	Advantech Corporation	1	30.00
57	Crystal Credi	Illinois Valley Community College	1	25.00
58	Karla Jones	First National Bank of Ottawa	1	25.00
59	Jeff Hettrick	Aglow Collective	1	25.00
60	Lisa Hettrick	Aglow Collective	1	25.00
61	Bailee Wallace	Carus	1	25.00
62	Alexis Mann	Ottawa PADSicles	1	25.00
63	Andrew Darling	Ottawa PADSicles	1	25.00
64	paula grady	Carus	1	25.00
65	Carrie Sabatini	Advantech Corporation	1	25.00
66	Jake Kowalczyk	Carus	1	15.00
67	Justine Larabee	Aglow Collective	1	10.00
68	Jodi Spurling	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
69	Carol L Pearse	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
70	Logan Smith	Ottawa PADSicles
71	Traci Leemhuis	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
72	Linda Asta	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
73	Wendy Coffey	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
74	Juli Stillwell	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
75	Andy & Ann Johnston	Carus
76	Rene Forsyth Forsyth	LaSalle County Cruisers
77	Ilse Bute	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
78	jackie harris	Ottawa PADSicles
79	Melvin Baerga	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
80	Mary Williams	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
81	Donna Bennett	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
82	Victor Bennett	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
83	Nick Muzzarelli	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
84	Bob Cavanaugh	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
85	Amber Miller	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
86	Jim Clark	Keep HOPE Alive
87	Shirlinda Jones
88	Susan Koeppe	IV PADS Board
89	Kinzley Eaton	His Hands
90	Patti Gould	His Hands
91	Ann Russell	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
92	Brittany Smith	Ottawa PADSicles
93	Xavier Telford	Aglow Collective
94	Emily Brandis	Lily Pads Too Bullfrogs
95	Tyler Hebert	Lily Pads Too Bullfrogs
96	Kristin Eaton	His Hands
97	Emily Weber	Advantech Corporation
98	Melba Saldana
99	Marianne Perino	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
100	Jared Schneider	Carus
101	Mary Jo Urbanski	IV PADS Board
102	Pastor Seamus Enright	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
103	Resa Mai	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa
104	Jena Graves	Lily Pads Too Bullfrogs
105	Don Mai	First United Methodist Church of Ottawa

Matching
Funds

Goal: Get 5 Donors

Event Day Details

Save the date - CNOY Day is February 28, 2026!

Start/Finish Google Map

Jordan Block

101-123 W Main St, Ottawa, IL 61350, United States

Same map info as last year.

Schedule

4:00 pm: Meet Check-in

4:45 pm: Muster Gather for Opening Remarks

5:00 pm: Move Send-off

6:00 pm: Munch Light meal served

7:00 pm: Mosey Goodbye + see you in 2027!

Not able to join us in person at the Main Event? We hope you'll register, fundraise and walk offsite with friends and family.

Route Details

Route Distances: Check out the maps below to see where we will be walking.

Rest stop: Keep an eye out for opportunities to rest and refresh with yummy snacks along the route.

Signage: Routes will be well-signed with our bold blue CNOY signs.

Route Support: Route marshals, rest stop hosts, and support vehicle drivers provide support along the route.

Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

No Pets: We love our little furballs like you do, but pets are not permitted at the Coldest Night of the Year except for approved and trained service animals. Read more about our pet policy >

Check- in

All walkers participating at the Main Event on Saturday, February 28, 2026 must check-in upon arrival.

Beanies! Fundraising walkers who raise $150+ (or $75+ for those under 18) will receive a CNOY Beanie as a thank you on event day, while supplies last.

Offsite fundraising walkers can contact their local event director to arrange toque pickup the week of the event.

Have questions? Visit the FAQ section!

Handling Money

Credit Card: The Best Option! Simple, secure, automatically tax receipted for gifts of $20+. Visit the Donate page, share your personal page link, or have your donor call the CNOY Head Office.

Checks: The Old Faithful - made out to Coldest Night of the Year with your name on the Memo line. Mail them to CNOY Head Office along with your completed pledge form.

Cash: You have 2 options:

1. Login to FundHub, click “Enter $$ and Checks,” create pledges for your cash donations, pay them off with your personal credit card, and keep the cash. OR...

2. Write a check (made out to “Coldest Night of the Year”) for the total amount of cash you’ve collected. Mail it to the CNOY Head Office with your completed pledge sheet.

Waivers

All participants must register online and accept the electronic waiver.

Adults accept the waiver automatically when they register online.

Youth/Children under the age of majority need a waiver signed by their parent or guardian.

An online form will be emailed to all parents/guardians before CNOY Day.

You may also bring a filled-out printed waiver.

Waivers will also be available at check-in on CNOY Day.

What to Bring

A few common sense suggestions:

A cell phone for emergencies (recommended but not required)

Good waterproof shoes/boots for walking

Warm coat and mitts/gloves

Extra snacks if you have allergies or food sensitivities

Your own water bottle

A passion for the charity you're walking and fundraising for!

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Ottawa Maps

Check out this year's CNOY route maps below:

2/5kmOpen + View!

Contact Us

CNOY Ottawa 2026

The CNOYUSA Team Participant & Donor Services
Toll Free 1.877.743.3413 / Phone 519.603.2250
Email ottawa@cnoy.com