Homeward Bound participants march through rain

Sunday’s wet weather didn’t manage to put a damper on the annual Homeward Bound 5k, a walk benefiting Bloomington’s homeless and poor.

More than 300 people turned out for the walk, giving donations to 12 different local organizations that assist the needy in Bloomington.

“The nice thing is it’s so collaborative,” Bobbie Summers, an event logistics worker, said of the event, which brought together 12 organizations. “This is a really good turnout for the weather. Some people come every year.”

Chris Ramsey is one of those people. Ramsey owns and operates King Snake Sound, a company that provides audio infrastructure for city and county events and local clubs.

“I’ve been involved with this event for four years,” Ramsey said.

King Snake Sound always provides a discount for the event, he said.
“It’s our way of putting back in,” he said.

IU students and members of the Bloomington community participated in the walk, which began at the Third Street Park and snaked around downtown Bloomington and campus, finally ending back at the park.

Team ACE, which stands for Ashton Center, Collins Center and Eigenmann Hall, was one of the groups of IU students participating.

Traci Pettigrew, a Collins resident and sophomore at IU, didn’t mind the rain at all.
“I’m excited to be doing it in the rain,” she said. “It puts stuff in perspective.”

And it’s not just those who live in Bloomington who participate, either. IU alumnus John Jones said he traveled from Indianapolis and didn’t mind the inclement weather.

“It’ll be a little bit of a damper, but we’ll stick it out,” he said.

Before the walk began, Mayor Mark Kruzan gave a brief speech, after which the march
began. Many participants carried umbrellas and pushed strollers. Some had flags and banners. The police provided escort by controlling traffic.

Kruzan himself participated in the walk along with some of his staff.

“It’s amazing,” Kruzan said. “It says a lot about the community and campus that there are this many people here in this weather, especially given the economy and hard times we are living in. We still care about each other.”