THROUGHOUT Children\u2019s Week, you might see a walking group wearing matching white t-shirts at Lake Wendouree.<\/p>\n
The Salvation Army\u2019s Karinya Support Services staff, including Louise Jeffrey, will step out over six kilometres daily from Tuesday, 25 to Saturday, 29 October as part of Walking Home, a fundraiser to assist vulnerable local children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe women and children that come to our service have experienced homelessness, family violence and trauma, and sometimes come to us without many of their own belongings,\u201d Ms Jeffrey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe funds that we raise stays in Ballarat and can be flexibly used to purchase resources for them, to link them into recreational activities, like community sport or music classes, to buy school uniforms, or to refer them to a paediatrician or counselling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe support them to have the opportunities that their peers and friendship groups have, which could simply be having a new pair of school shoes or runners. In a child\u2019s world, that\u2019s massive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Karinya Support Services\u2019 core business is offering assistance and wholistic support to a family, with a childcare centre, mentoring program, and specialist children\u2019s workers.<\/p>\n
The fundraiser complements the theme of 2022 Children\u2019s Week; \u2018all children have the right to a standard of living that supports their wellbeing and healthy development.\u2019<\/p>\n
Ms Jeffrey said their aim is also to boost the community\u2019s awareness that there are vulnerable children living in Ballarat.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s doing it tough, but these families are doing it even tougher,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n