Winter walk raises funds for Aurora ministries
“Walking in a winter wonderland” usually is a theme reserved for Christmas songs.
But this year, it also serves to describe the winter fundraising walk Wayside Cross has planned for Saturday, Feb. 12, in Aurora.
The fifth annual Walk a Mile in My Shoes winter walk will bring money to two ministries run by the nonprofit Wayside Cross.
Lifespring Center, a shelter for homeless women and children, and Urban Youth Ministry of Wayside Cross will benefit from proceeds of the event, Lifespring’s Director Lynda Dorsch said.
“Our whole goal is to help women get back on their feet, back in the community, continue functioning,” Dorsch said. “Holistically, we try to reach them in every area of their life.”
The center provides shelter for up to 22 adults and 20 children, Dorsch said. Mothers take classes in four stages and learn about parenting, finances, nutrition and computer skills before looking for a job and a place to live.
It takes $328,000 to run Lifespring each year, Dorsch said, and funding from the walk is an important contribution.
Walkers can participate as individuals or on teams, said John Ross, chairman of the walk planning committee and the Wayside Cross board.
“We like walkers, if they could, to raise around $100, but anyone can walk,” Ross said.
Wayside Cross hopes between 200 and 300 people will brave the cold and snow to walk a one-mile course beginning and ending at the Fred Rogers Community Center, 501 College Ave.
“It’s not a long walk, but it’s a cold one,” Dorsch said.
But don’t expect to get anyone else’s shoes — the event’s name is figurative, meant to let everyday citizens experience how poor people get around.
“The idea is just to feel what it would be to be out in the streets, to be homeless, or to be without,” Ross said.
Going without any mode of transportation other than walking is toughest in the winter, Dorsch said.
“The average American, we hop in our car, we get our coffee and go to work and we don’t realize the modern conveniences we have that make life easier and more convenient,” Dorsch said. “Walking is often the only means of getting from place to place for our families. When it’s cold outside, it really makes a big difference.”
A similar Wayside Cross fundraising walk is planned for Saturday at Evangelical Covenant Church, 1565 Larkin Ave., Elgin.
If you go
What: Walk a Mile in My Shoes fundraising walk
When: 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12
Where: Fred Rogers Community Center, 501 College Ave., Aurora
Cost: Fundraising goal is $100 a walker; however anyone can participate
Details: Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; participants can walk as individuals or on teams
Info: (630) 851-0187 or visit waysidecross.org