FOR the past five years, Brown Hill man Shane Magri has supported children\u2019s education non-profit The Smith Family with donations every December.<\/p>\n
But in 2023 he\u2019s changing up his stride and aiming to walk 50 kilometres throughout June as part of the charity\u2019s Dream Run initiative.<\/p>\n
Mr Magri said he\u2019s felt motivated to increase his fundraising efforts since taking over management of the Ballarat Vintage and Collectables Market last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been supporting them for a while and like to take a bit of stress off around Christmas time,\u201d he said. \u201cI usually raise about $3000 each time for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I\u2019ve taken the market over, I\u2019ve been doing a lot of weekly charities for the Soup Bus. I\u2019ve never done a 50 kilometre walk so when I saw this pop up I thought it\u2019d be a good one to give a try.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to set challenges and make things happen and it\u2019s definitely been worth the commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Magri has already passed his $2000 goal and his first big walk took place earlier this month when he went nearly 20 kilometres from the market to the Arch of Victory before finishing at Lake Wendouree.<\/p>\n
Supporting The Smith Family has been something of a personal commitment for Mr Magri.<\/p>\n
\u201cA few friends of mine, the Smith Family supports them and have helped get their kids through things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found them to be one of the more genuine charities out there. Through them I\u2019ve helped people close to me so if it\u2019s made an impact on their life they\u2019re worth helping out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always tried to do my bit but these days, getting bigger with business, I can actually do a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Magri also donates leftovers from the market\u2019s cafe to the Ballarat Soup Bus every Thursday, runs regular charity auctions, and takes part in the Good Friday Appeal each year.<\/p>\n
His fundraiser page can be found at the Dream Run website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FOR the past five years, Brown Hill man Shane Magri has supported children\u2019s education non-profit The Smith Family with donations every December. But in 2023 he\u2019s changing up his stride and aiming to walk 50 kilometres throughout June as part of the charity\u2019s Dream Run initiative. Mr Magri said he\u2019s felt motivated to increase his […]<\/p>\n