A WALKER has exceeded his fundraising goal in support of men\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n
From Sunday, 25 September, Alan Thorpe walked 25 kilometres a day, for 20 days, around Lake Wendouree, with the aim of raising $8350 for charity Beyond Blue.<\/p>\n
Concluding his 500-kilometre endeavour on Friday last week, he surpassed his goal by nearly $2000, although Mr Thorpe said raising awareness for men\u2019s mental health was the driving factor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe money helps for people reaching out, but me doing what I\u2019m doing and people seeing that, that\u2019s more important than the money side of things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople see what I\u2019m doing and then they get help and speak up. It\u2019s more about spreading the word.\u201d<\/p>\n
Delacombe resident Mitch Jenkins joined Mr Thorpe on his final day of walking, and said he was inspired by the message behind the laps.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlan\u2019s showing us all that we\u2019re not alone in our journey. It\u2019s not weak to speak up and men have lots of trouble doing that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t come out because they feel like they\u2019re weak and Alan\u2019s showing that it\u2019s not. He\u2019s supporting the community. He\u2019s supporting everyone he talks to.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s putting himself out there 100 per cent. I highly, highly respect that and a lot of people I\u2019ve talked to feel the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Thorpe celebrated his efforts at the Lake View Hotel after his final kilometres, and said attention for the campaign had grown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had someone message me from Liverpool saying how much it\u2019d impacted him which is just unreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been hugely supported from the Aussie rap scene, which is what I listen to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWombat and Chillinit, they\u2019re two of Australia\u2019s biggest rap artists and they\u2019re both promoting what I\u2019m doing too.\u201d<\/p>\n
With an aim to undertake two fundraising walks a year, Mr Thorpe plans to begin preparing for another in the later months of summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A WALKER has exceeded his fundraising goal in support of men\u2019s mental health. From Sunday, 25 September, Alan Thorpe walked 25 kilometres a day, for 20 days, around Lake Wendouree, with the aim of raising $8350 for charity Beyond Blue. Concluding his 500-kilometre endeavour on Friday last week, he surpassed his goal by nearly $2000, […]<\/p>\n