The The Houston Retirement Housing Society’s Walk/Run, held on Sept. 7 was a phenomenal success, organizers say, and the event is now being planned as an annual event, to be held in Helen Sullivan’s honour.“To me it went fabulous,” Noreen Scott said. “Seeing people who haven’t walked in a long time [walk the one kilometre] was wonderful.”
Fund raising for a new senior’s six-plex raised over $5,000 for the event, $2,000 more than the hopeful amount set by the housting society’s president Arnold Amonson.
“There’s still some more pledges to come in,” Amonson said. “I was hoping it would be around two or three [thousand dollars], but it turned out to be five, which is great.”
More than 50 came out for the walk-a-thon, with the youngest walker at age four, and the oldest at 86, with seven seniors over 80 walking one kilometre, or more, with some in walkers or using their scooters. Many trained for weeks to be able to make the rounds.
“That’s really cool, to see the senior’s training up for this,” Sue Jones said.
While at this point, plans are still in the grey zone as to how it would be run next year, the date would probably be the first thing to change, Scott said, as being held over the long weekend many were unable to come out due to prior arrangements. Biking would also be added, as Helen Sullivan was fond of her bicycle, and at 86 years old was disappointed she’d only been on her bike three times that year, according to Jones.
“When she was in the hospital one of her big goals was getting home to get on her bike,” Jones said.
Scott added that it would be an any-way-you-can-get-there walk-a-thon, just so long as the participant can get from point a to point b.
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