Last Sunday saw around 30 Hodges House boarders stepping up to the challenge of a 30km walk from SHORE to the Manly foreshore, raising over $7k for Streetwork through their annual ‘walk for charity’.
Neither the distance or the heat proved to be too much of a problem for the boys, who even turned the last 3km into a mini sprint home as they vied for bragging rights as to the first to reach Manly wharf.
Accompanied and supported by a handful of parents and teachers, including Housemaster Rod Fitch and Head of Service Learning Huw Blood, the boys completed the journey in good spirits and with a keen understanding of the cause they were raising money for. Streetwork’s GM Strategic Partnerships, Nige Cottingham, enthused: ‘I’d been fortunate enough to meet the boys a few weeks prior, to talk to them about the work we undertake at Streetwork towards turning the lives of Sydney’s vulnerable young people around. There was a natural inquisitiveness from the boys and a great team spirit when embarking on the walk itself.’
‘This is not just about the money they raised – which is a huge lift for our charity – but the knowledge that there is now another corner of Sydney that has an informed sense of the challenges being faced by vulnerable young people who are being let down by the very system that should be supporting them and keeping them safe.’
The money raised by Hodges House comes as a well-received follow-up to receipt of a similar amount raised through the inaugural Schools for Impact opportunity hosted by SHORE in November last year.
