by Brooke Bunch

OU-COM AmeriCorps members will take to the streets Saturday, Jan. 15, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. with a good pair of sneakers and high hopes as they partake in the third Good Works “Walk for the Homeless.”

“Walk for the Homeless,” an annual fundraiser, is a big event for Good Works, a faith-based, non-profit organization that has been providing housing for the rural homeless in Southeastern Ohio since 1981. Good Works is a partner site for OU-COM’s AmeriCorps program.

AmeriCorps members are helping to raise funds for Good Works by recruiting 10 people who sponsor his or her walk by each giving $10. All donations made will be used to aid the homeless through Good Works’ Timothy House Shelter for the rural homeless.

Covering a geographical area that encompasses multiple counties, Timothy House provides shelter for nearly 200 homeless people a year.

“We’re the only emergency shelter in seven counties,” says Matt Cook, walk coordinator. “So it’s important we stay open.”

According to Geoff Osterland, former Good Works/AmeriCorps representative, 75 percent of Good Works’ operating funds come from private donations, with only 25 percent obtained through grants.

With a budget of roughly $200,000, Cook says it is vital that funds are raised from such an event. Last year’s “Walk for the Homeless” raised $37,000, says Cook, who hopes for a larger turnout this year.

Nancy Schell, director of OU-COM’s AmeriCorps program, said, “We like to do service projects, such as the walk, with our partners that work toward sustainability — that is contribute to their stability, mission and long-term viability.”

“Good Works’ funding has to be replenished regularly,” says AmeriCorps member Megan Fallon. “If it weren’t for Good Works shelters, there wouldn’t be anywhere for these homeless people to go.”

AmeriCorps member Jason Heinrich says Ohio’s rural homeless are going largely unnoticed.

“When people talk about the homeless, they don’t think about rural homelessness,” he says.

The walk, says Schell, “raises awareness of the issue of the homeless and how it is important for all segments of society to help the less fortunate.”

The walk begins at First United Methodist Church in Athens.

For more information, call Matt at Good Works at (740) 594-3366 or 591-6221.