A kick of the football in the park, an outing to the cinema or the chance to wear a new uniform that does not stand out for being different are not always a given for children.
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SalvoConnect Western’s Walking Home Ballarat fundraiser took place on Saturday to help level the playing field for children who have a lived experience of family violence and homelessness.
The event offered three distance options, with starting points at Smythesdale, Haddon and Lucas and all finishing at Victoria Park.
There was a strong turn out for each of the walks, with 160 people in total. Numbers were boosted with last-minute registrations.
SalvoConnect’s network director Janet White described the atmosphere as positive and family friendly.
“There were young kids, women pushing prams, children on bikes and all ages in between,” she said.
“It’s nice to see the positive feedback when you put so much work into it, especially when there are unknowns.”
While walkers did face windy conditions, the heat was not a factor with the event over by early afternoon. The longest walk was also shortened this year from 36km to 18km to encourage participants to stay and enjoy festivities at Victoria Park.
While donations were yet to be counted, Ms White said money raised would go directly towards offering therapeutic support for young people and helping them engage in the community.
This included helping children join sporting clubs and pursue creative outlets where they could establish positive connections.
“In a family where there is family violence, kids tend to be isolated,” Ms White said. “We’re now able to connect them to groups of children their own ages and help them deal with the trauma they’ve been through in their lives.”
Ms White said fitting in with their peers could make a huge difference for children, boosting confidence, self-esteem and engagement.
“We’re always trying to get the young people more integrated in the community and to have experiences that all kids share,” she said.
Supporting those affected by family violence and homelessness is crucial, with homelessness for women increasing by 20 per cent in the past five years according to the latest census figures.
Ms White wanted to thank the volunteers who had made a huge contribution to the success of the fundraiser.
“We could not do it without them,” she said.
People can donate or find out more information by visiting salvationarmy.org.au/walkinghomeballarat.
