Walk aims to raise $70K

Bloomington’s Community and Family Resources Department is sponsoring the city’s annual Homeward Bound, a 5K walk benefiting 12 local organizations to help the homeless.

“This is the seventh annual walk for Bloomington,” said Janet Cravens, co-chair for the event.

The event raised more than $64,000 last year. The goal for this year is $70,000.

“All the money stays local,” Cravens said.

The event will begin at noon and run to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Third Street Park downtown. It will progress through IU’s campus and several neighborhoods as well.
Since its start in 2003, Homeward Bound has raised $325,000 in Bloomington alone.
Nationally, Homeward Bound has raised $2.5 million.

While the national percentage of families below the poverty line is 12.5 percent and Indiana’s is 12.3 percent, Monroe County’s percentage of families below the poverty level is at 26 percent.

There were 151 elementary school children registered as homeless at the beginning of the school year, said Kathy Mayer, director of Bloomington’s Community and Family Resources Department.

Money raised helps 12 local organizations that work with the homeless and poor in Bloomington.

One of these organizations is Stepping Stones, a community foundation that provides housing for homeless young adults aged 16 to 20. Stepping Stones takes in troubled youth and works to provide them with education for living on their own and also attempts to get them employment. The organization also owns three two-bedroom apartments, which it uses to house its constituents.

“This is Stepping Stones’ biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Stepping Stones Assistant Director Warren Wade. “We get a lot of good community participation.”
Wade said he originally joined the event as a volunteer and now works on the board, helping to plan the event.

“We would really love for the community to get involved,” Mayer said. “It’s helping provide supplemental food for residents. It could be help with rent. It could help people get through hard times.”

Hard times, however, are not just limited to Bloomington.

“It’s just really spread through Indiana,” Cravens said.

Bloomington is one of 11 cities across the state that sponsors the annual walk. Bloomington’s volunteer base will consist of more than 100 members, including School of Public and Environmental Affairs interns. Ivy Tech has also become very involved.

Though the volunteer base is huge, the number of participants expected is uncertain.

“You never know,” Cravens said. “Last year we had almost 500 participants.”