COTS Walk

About the Walk

Founded in 1988, the COTS Walk is one of our oldest and most important peer-to-peer fundraisers. Every year around 2,000 walkers of all ages from businesses, schools, religious organizations, and neighborhoods come together from all over the region to participate. The Walk begins and ends in Battery Park with music from Jenni & the Jazz Junketeers, Red Hot Juba, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and fun activities.

This family-friendly event guides Walkers along a 3.6-mile route through downtown Burlington visiting some of the shelters and facilities that COTS operates. At this event, COTS seeks to illustrate the path a person experiencing homelessness might take when utilizing COTS services to educate our community about homelessness in our region. Bring your friends, family, coworkers, dogs, and strollers…All are welcome!

New on the route this year... We are super excited to share that the construction will be done on our new housing, which is co-located with Main Street Family Shelter. This year, you will be able to walk by Main Street Family Housing, a multi-family apartment building that will provide 16 units of permanent, deeply affordable housing for families experiencing homelessness.

2024 music: Star 92.9, 95 Triple X, Sambatucada, Jenni Johnson & the Jazz Junketeers, Dixie Six, Joe Cribari, Goldhammer, Mikahely, and The Willoughbys.

Register for the 2024 COTS Walk!

This year's theme

The COTS Walk is designed to be educational, engaging, and interactive. Our 2024 Walk theme, which will be incorporated into all aspects of the Walk, is: “I stand for COTS.”

As you may have heard, COTS dropped our acronym. Since we no longer focus on temporary shelter, Committee On Temporary Shelter didn’t really feel like us anymore. The theme “I stand for COTS” is a play on "What does COTS stand for,” a question regarding our old acronym, that we got a lot.

COTS and COTS supporters stand for a lot of things. We stand for dignity for all human beings. We stand for the unwavering belief that everyone deserves a home. We stand for systemic solutions to complex problems. Some of us even stand for cozy PJs and cat memes. No matter what you stand for, we all have the power to stand up for what we think is important and make a difference.

Download your "I stand for..." printable COTS Walk kids coloring page here!

Volunteer

We couldn't run this event without you. The fundraising from this event makes it possible to provide our services. We truly appreciate your help. There are a ton of different volunteer opportunities ranging from crossing guards, to data entry, to kids activities, and more. Click the sign up button below to learn more about each position.

Volunteer for the COTS Walk

Walker Resources:

Download the Walker Information Packet Here.

Save the Date!

Please join us!

When: First Sunday in May; Sunday May 5th, 2024.

Where: Battery Park

Registration: begins at 1pm

Walk time: begins at 2pm

Who Walks?

About 2,000 walkers of all ages, from businesses, schools, social and religious organizations, and neighborhoods come together from all over the region to participate in the annual COTS Walk.

Why Walk?

To raise public awareness about homelessness in our community and to raise money.
To support COTS shelters and services for Vermonters who are homeless or are at risk of losing their homes.