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Walkathons Popular and Pervasive |
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Katie Heffernan, BVM answers the call for a “Senior Health and Fitness Walk” in Chicago's Soldier Field.
BVMs Diane Rapozo (Malia), Mary Lauranne Lifka and Alice Caulfield (Alissio) head for the finish line of the Dubuque Alzheimer's Walk.
BVM Mary Catherine Beckman (St. Ambrose) participates with St. Ignatius Parish hunger walkers in Chicago.
BVMs Theresa Gleeson (Dorothy), Nancy McCarthy (Josephine) and Brigid Mary Hart bundle up for Sarah's Circle Winter Walk.
Associate Margaret Hoge “walks for the cure” for breast cancer in San Francisco. |
“Mt. Carmel Tops Stonehill for Five in a Row.” No, not a sports headline, but the results of the 2005 Dubuque Alzheimer's Walk. The Mt. Carmel staff, with nurse Grace Reed as coordinator, and bolstered by other area BVMs, collected over $9,000 to lead all the teams in the annual October walk. In fact, Mt. Carmel has brought home the trophy each year since 2001. In addition to the event itself, the Mt. Carmel staff begins early with a Craft and Bake Sale to allow non-walkers a chance to participate. Walkathons have become a popular and painless fundraising tool, with schools and nonprofit organizations depending on these events to meet their budgets. BVMs, Associates, coworkers, and friends frequently join these outings to fight disease, hunger or homelessness. The desire to raise breast cancer awareness brings out huge crowds each spring and fall. After participating in Dubuque for many years, BVM Marge Clark joined the D.C. walk this year, while Associate Margaret Hoge was part of the San Francisco crew. Besides the “Race for the Cure,” BVM Lou Anglin also participates in the St. Louis MS Walk. Suzanne Mulvihill Higdon helped collect for ALS, and Arline Elliott, also an Associate, joined a group in Treasure Island, Calif., hoping to find a cure for Alzheimer's. CROP walks also have spread throughout the country. Many BVMs regularly help this group, dedicated to relieving poverty and providing care for disaster victims here and abroad. The Dubuque CROP walk enjoys a long tradition. BVMs Sara McAlpin (Philip Mary), Dolores Marie McHugh and Jean Gordon (James Miriam) are among the BVMs who participate annually. BVM Kathleen Mullin (Robert Mary), a 28 year veteran, moved to the Quad-Cities when the walk included the Gaines Street hill, a formidable hurdle. The Quad-Cities also adds a unique feature—the route crosses the Mississippi River via the Centennial Bridge. Other umbrella groups sponsor hunger walks with parish volunteers signing on for their local food pantries. In the Chicago Hunger Walk, BVM Susie Beckman (St. Ambrose) joined the St. Ignatius Parish group, while BVM Nancy McCarthy (Josephine) helped the Blessed Sacrament contingent. A hardy band of BVMs brave Chicago's winter winds each year to show their support for Sarah's Circle, a center for homeless women. Sarah's has chosen February for its annual Winter Walk. Every health bulletin touts the benefits of exercise for our hearts, lungs and bones. But when the exercise includes the chance of helping the needy, who could refuse? No one by herself may be able to eliminate poverty or find a cure for cancer, but as we join others in their efforts, we echo the words of Oscar Hammerstein, “Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart….” About the author: Margaret A. McGinn, BVM (Daniel Anne) is an adjunct faculty member at Truman College, Chicago, and a member of the Communications Advisory Committee. Return to Table of Contents. |
