Bloomington hosts Homeward Bound walk

The 6th Annual Homeward Bound 5K Walk to provide housing and fight homelessness will be held this Sunday at Bloomington’s Third Street Park. Registration for the walk begins at noon, with the walk starting at 2 p.m. \nThirteen agencies in Bloomington will get 100 percent of the proceeds from the walk, providing food and shelter for the homeless, near homeless and the hungry. \nVickie Provine, chair for the Homeward Bound Walk, has been involved with the walk for several years.\n“This is a wonderful way the community can come together with our 13 local agencies serving the home and near homeless to show support and give financial support to show we care about people in this condition,” Provine said. “We want to educate and help the agencies.”\nWalker recruiter Lucy Schaich agrees with Provine, saying that Bloomington is not immune to issues of homelessness. The walk is all about raising funds as well as raising awareness for the cause. \n“We want to make sure the walk is good for the agencies,” Schaich said. “It’s also an awareness-building event so that people are aware that this is an issue in Bloomington.” \nThe walk is one of eight walks benefiting the homeless around Indiana, and Bloomington’s is one of the most successful. \n“We do have a very aware community and people are interested in helping any way they can because the agencies are receiving 100 percent of the money,” Schaich said. “The money does stay local so all this hard work is going to pay off for them.” \nNot only do the people involved with the event want to raise awareness and funds for the community, they also want people to know that the walk is fun. \n“The route goes all around Bloomington,” Schaich said. “It’s really nice to be on foot and to see all these locations you don’t get to see everyday.” \nProvine wants the community to realize there is a stereotype of homeless people and to put the proper face on them so the community can understand the problem. She also cites IU as a huge help.\n“IU is a wonderful supporter, and we always have a lot of interns who serve on the committee,” Provine said. “The students have always been a big part of our community.”\nThere is entertainment provided along the walk route and prizes for teams who raise the most money.\nThe importance of the issue to the community is one reason public relations and media committee member Jane Weiser decided to take on a larger role in hosting the walk this year.\n“Last year I just took team photos, but this year I was on the public relations committee,” Weiser said. “I put together press packets and organized the yard signs and things like that.”\nWeiser wants people to help in any way that they can.\n“If everyone can put in a little bit, it certainly lightens the load,” Weiser said. “There are lots of teams and its going to be fun. It’s kind of like a crazy parade.”\nLast year over $78,000 was raised for the 13 agencies. Anyone interested in finding out more information about the walk or registering to participate can visit www.homewardboundindiana.org. \n“Come out and walk,” Schaich said. “You can show up and register that day. Bring any donation amount, but if you raise $100 you get a T-shirt. We’d like to get as many people out there as we can.”