STILL LIGHTING THE WAY
Org hopes to raise $15G with virtual walk
Beacon of Hope Community Services’ Walk for Hope is back on track and going virtual this Saturday and Sunday.
“This year will mark our 28th annual walk in support of our mission to enhance the quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and we felt it would be a shame to cancel it all together,” Vicky Briggs, executive director of Beacon of Hope, said.
Beacon of Hope is excited to be able to “redefine” the event and carry on this tradition as it is the second biggest fundraiser of the year.
Participants can choose the date, time, place and how they would like to complete 3.1 miles.
“People can be as creative as they want,” Briggs said. “They can walk, run, swim, bike or skip to the finish line.”
There is no registration fee,
however walkers are encouraged to get sponsorships or simply donate. Participants can register, donate or create a GoFundMe fundraising page at beaconofhopema.org
“The current health crisis has thrown us a curve ball but has not sidelined our impact on those we serve in the community,” Briggs said. “For the past 33 years Beacon of Hope has been providing respite, life skills training and recreational activities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
When Beacon of Hope start
ed this journey 33 years ago out of St. Anna’s House, the organization could only support four people each week. The organization is currently based out of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Leominster and has the capacity to serve its 50 members twice a week.
“Although we had to cease our face-to-face services in March, we pivoted to virtual programming,” Briggs said. “Our twice-a-week ‘gatherings’ are offered to each of our members and include arts and crafts, music, bingo, story and joke telling, etc.”
“This virtual programming is essential and affords some reprieve from the social isolation and anxiety that our members are experiencing due to the
COVID-19 pandemic,” she added. “It also offers their caregivers some down time of their own.”
Now more than ever, Briggs says they need support to help keep the Beacon of Hope’s mission thriving.
“As Beacon of Hope continues to reshape its programming and resume face-to-face services safely, the organization is faced with new challenges and expenses,” she said.
Additional expenses have included extra cleaning of program surfaces, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer stations and individual program supplies for each one of its 50 members.
“This is why this year’s Walk for Hope goal of $15,000 is
more important than ever,” Briggs said.
Each year, Beacon of Hope dedicates the Walk for Hope to the memory of someone who has recently passed and who has shown great commitment and service to the organization.
“This year we walk in honor of Paul Roy and Fay Brooks who supported Beacon of Hope for the past 20 years,” Briggs said. “Paul was a faithful supporter of the Walk for Hope, never missing an opportunity to further Beacon of Hope’s mission by walking with his friend, Al Brassard, and the
Roy Family. From the onset of her volunteer service, Fay supported all of Beacon of Hope’s various endeavors and could be found manning the food and T
shirt tables at our past walks. Fay was an accomplished artist and, in the last years of her life, sold her artwork to benefit Beacon of Hope. She was a true champion of our cause.”
Beacon of Hope would like to acknowledge and thank local businesses sponsors of the
Walk for Hope.
These include Chapdelaine Truck Center, Silas F. Richardson & Son Funeral Home, ABM Insurance Agency, Bernie Roy Construction, Sonny’s Trailer Repairs, Fraticelli Oil, Vietnam Veterans of America and WDC Construction.