Murray Lands Retirement Village residents take steps to end homelessness
Residents at the Murray Bridge village are walking a mile a day to raise money for the Hutt Street Centre.
Residents and staff at the Murray Lands Retirement Village are walking a mile a day to help those experiencing homelessness.
The challenge, hosted by Hutt Street Centre, runs during National Homeless Week, from August 5-11, but these residents are getting some early steps in.
Their team, “the Young and the Breathless”, has collectively raised just over $2000 already.
During the village’s happy hour, staff members Tash May and Rowena Fox and residents Lyn Learl, Janet Gatley, Henrietta Standley, Max Leask, Rona Dahlitz, and Maggie Brittain expressed their passion for the challenge.
“It’s a good exercise in thinking of other people, because we’re all quite comfortable here in warm homes, with food and warm clothes,” Ms Brittain said.
Tash May said a lot of the residents went for daily walks anyway, which was a good initiative to start.
The daily walking plan is to meet at 11am and do a lap of the village which is approximately 1.8 kilometres.
“I guess we’re trying to point out the fact that you don’t have to be sitting home, we’ve got a quite a few that are using walker so there’s no age limit when it comes to raising the money,” Ms Gatley said.
“Hence our team name, the Young and the Breathless,” Ms Dahlitz added.
They all came together to vote on a team name, with “the Walking Dead” coming in at a close second, she said.
“I’ve always supported Hutt Street, so this is a way to do it more personally and get my friends, who don’t want me to visit them (involved)”, Ms Dahlitz said with a laugh.
The residents who aren’t able to complete the walk have still been able to get involved by making a donation to the group.
The team will continue to walk until August 11 and are hoping to get a bus together to head to Adelaide to walk in the “final mile”.
In South Australia, more than 7000 people have experienced homelessness this year.
- Donate to the Young and the Breathless: www.walkamile.org.au.
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