Members of the Christ Central Presbyterian congregation participated in the 9/20 GSA Walk for Shelter in Leesburg.
Photograph courtesy of Fernando Hernandez.
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GSA Walk for Shelter Embraced by Many Churches – INOVA Donates $2,000.00
Many Local Churches Walk- INOVA Donates Two Thousand Dollars to Assist Homeless
The 4th Annual Homeless Walk for Shelter through historic Leesburg, Virginia took place on Saturday, September 22nd. Sponsored by the Good Shepherd Alliance (GSA) and Fannie Mae Foundation, the “Walk to Shelter Homeless” started at 9:30 AM at the Douglass School Pavilion on the corner of Sycolin Road and East Market Street. The 1.2 mile walk continued west on East Market to Loudoun Street, then on to King Street, through historic Leesburg, back to East Market then over to Harrison Street past the Government Building and back to the Douglass School.
131 people walked (to include 48 children & adolescents) in the event to raise funds (as of this writing $5,500.00 raised) for homeless programs and to foster volunteerism in service to homeless people. Previous walks drew 61, 35 and 120 registered walkers in 2005, 2006 and 2007. State Delegate Dave Poisson, his legislative aide Sandy Martinez and Bob Ohneiser, Broad Run School Board Representative participated in the walk.
GSA Director of Finance and Operations Vickie Koth provided the crowd with a pre-walk opening statement. She thanked everyone in attendance for being good advocates for the needy. Vickie said “it was a privilege to have the opportunity to walk with such caring people to benefit others less fortunate.” She cited scripture that calls us to bear each other’s burden. “Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” [Galatians 6.2] Vickie emphasized that many of us are having difficulty in this economy paying bills and getting through each week. In a similar manner GSA is experiencing the same issue of bills to pay while providing significant services to the homeless and indigent.
The event had a special feature as INOVA provided a medical health tent with INOVA representative’s on site at the Douglass Center pavilion. INOVA offered homeless walkers free screenings for blood pressure and body mass index and many walkers took advantage of the free screenings.
The temperature was a cool 60 degrees during pre registration and check-in and made the 1.2 mile walk seem too brief as the relatively large contingent of people quickly worked their way west through the historic section of downtown Leesburg early on Saturday morning. This walk was a family event to benefit homeless and indigent families. Many grandparents, parents and children walked with GSA board members and staff. Parents said that the walk provided an educational experience that raised awareness about homelessness. The youth especially gained appreciation for the many blessings provided by their own families. The following Churches and organizations walked with the Good Shepherd Alliance on September 20.
Brambleton Presbyterian
Christ Central Presbyterian
Community Lutheran
Dranesville Church of the Brethren – Great Falls
Evergreen Church
Great Falls United Methodist
Greek Orthodox Parish of Loudoun County
INOVA Hospital
Leesburg United Methodist
LINK Food Bank
Nova Community College
Notre Dame Academy
Nova Youth Flag Football League
Purcellville Baptist
Rehoboth United Methodist - Lovettsville
St. James Episcopal
Children from many local Churches gather Saturday morning before the Walk for Shelter
GSA recently celebrated the Dedication for the Center of Hope facility in Ashburn. The Center of Hope is more than just a building. This unique center not only houses GSA’s administrative and counseling offices, but it also houses a community outreach center and 3,000 square feet of its floor space dedicated to Hope’s Treasurer’s, a retail store which was created to fund their service programs. More than just a retail store, the new facility offers hope to those people who need critical support during a difficult time in their lives.
GSA is proud of its cooperative relationship with the Leesburg Town Government. GSA is grateful to the Leesburg Town Council, Leesburg Police and Parks and Recreation for their cooperation and coordination of this event.
GSA needs the continuous support from our dynamic business community to supply much needed materials, services and funding to maintain and upgrade our facilities. GSA strongly believes that assisting those less fortunate with their most basic needs fosters hope and goodwill among our diverse and fast growing community.
The Good Shepherd Alliance maintains offices on Ashburn Road in Ashburn Village, family shelters in Arcola and North Leesburg, a house for homeless pregnant women in Purcellville and a 5,800 square foot thrift store in Sterling.
Note: The mission of the Help the Homeless Program is to raise awareness of and fund for Washington Metropolitan area organizations that are working to prevent and end homeless. This is the 20th year, the Fannie Mae Corporation created the Help the Homeless Program to respond to the growing needs of homeless people in the Washington Metro area. The program – a fund-raising and awareness raising effort includes mini walks such as the one by GSA in Leesburg on Sept 20 and culminates each year in a Walkathon on the National Mall. This year’s the Metro Walkathon is Saturday November 22. You can spend a wonderful day with your friends and family walking for The Good Shepherd Alliance and help the homeless right here in Loudoun county.
Please sign up on our web site at loudounhomeless.org or call us at 703-724-1555. Every dollar donated and goes back to the Good Shepherd Alliance with Fannie Mae picking up the costs for the events.
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