Don’t Miss the 2010 HEA Fund-Raising Walks on May 1st (with a warm up 10-mile walk on April 24)!

Jim Lake
HEA Board Member and Treasurer

Last year, I held the first HEA Walk fund-raising event. I sent out emails to family and friends stating that I would walk 10 miles for HEA. I asked for $1 per mile, and to my surprise, over $1,000 was donated to HEA for the cause. A wonderful coworker joined me on the walk, and we shared in a beautiful day.

Jim Lake at the 2009 HEA Walk

This year I have had several inquiries about the HEA Walk. I thought about it and decided to have two walks. On April 24, I’ll be walking 10 miles at Independence Grove in Libertyville, Illinois. On May 1, I’m changing the format to a 5K walk for HEA so that families and friends could join in. This second HEA Walk will be held in Kankakee State Park in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The venue has paved trails, restrooms with plumbing, and a play area for children. Wagons and strollers will also be welcome. The rain date for the May 1 Walk will be May 2. I am also considering refreshments or a possible potluck after the walk.

Then I had another thought. We have members all around the world who would like to be more involved with HEA. What better way than having a walk in your own area? Better yet…What are you into? Would you rather ride a bike or run? The awesome part is that before, during, and after the event, you will have connected with others in your area and increased awareness of HEA.

So, consider organizing an HEA Walk in your area. It won’t take much work to organize, and the only cost is in shoe leather. For those who wish to participate, I am advising using my original formula.

  1. Put together a list of family, friends, businesses, doctors, and social service agencies that you feel comfortable approaching with your request.

  2. Send each person an email, stating your objective for your event on May 1 and the donation you are requesting per solicitation. Again, I requested $1 per mile ($10 in total) with the clarification that if that was too high than any amount would be appreciated. As it was, there were a few that donated up to $100. People can donate at http://www.heainfo.org/Donate.html. Donations can also be made by check.

  3. Send a reminder email about 1 week before the event.

If you decide to host an HEA Walk, please notify Betty Engel (betty@heainfo.org) so that the information can be included on the HEA website.

If you don’t want to organize an HEA Walk of your own, you may want to participate in a walk in your area. So far, we have 2010 HEA Walks planned in five cities. Email the organizer for more information.

Finally, you can donate in support of one (or more!) of these events via PayPal or check (http://www.heainfo.org/Donate.html).

Check out the HEA Walk page on our website (http://www.heainfo.org/HEAwalk.html) for more information.

And thanks for your support!