Take a step to help those escaping domestic and family violence
Hit the streets of North Sydney this spring and raise funds by taking part in the Mary’s House Walk. Set for Sunday 26 October, the walk which is now in its fifth year, sees community members come together to show solidarity for women and children escaping violence and abuse while raising much-needed funds for the service.
For McMahon’s Point local Jenny Kent, this will be her third year taking on the 8.8km walk. Jenny is a personal trainer who runs weekly pro-bono sessions for cancer survivors to keep them fit and healthy, and will do the walk with them.
She first learned of the amazing services Mary’s House provides after someone she knew used their services to help ‘get back on her feet.’ “You wouldn’t think (domestic violence) would affect an affluent area like the one we live in, but it does,” Jenny says. “So it’s good to raise awareness as part of the walk so people in that situation know there’s someone they can turn to.”
Mary’s House Services is a not-for- profit charitable organisation that provides refuge, case management and community programs for those escaping domestic and family violence. Yvette Vignando, chief executive officer of Mary’s House says the walk aims to raise funds to support what they do every day for women and their children. “Across almost nine years of service, we have provided over 16,500 nights of safe refuge accommodation for women or children in crisis,” she says.
Jenny, who also spends time volunteering for Mary’s House by helping to sell raffle tickets, says the walk is a great day out. “There’s a massive crowd of people and lots of dogs,” she explains. “We all get together and enjoy the walk and the camaraderie – it’s just a lovely thing to be a part of.”
MARY’S HOUSE WALK
Sunday 26 October
8.30am check-in
9.30am start
St Leonards Park, North Sydney
maryshouse.org.au
The event starts at St Leonards Park in North Sydney, and takes in Balls Head Reserve, Waverton, Lavender Bay and McMahon’s Point before returning to the park. It’s an easy-grade walk, suitable for all ages and prams. Pets on a leash are also welcome.
Yvette says the day will be a display of community spirit. “We’ll have entertainment from the NSW Police band’s brass quintet, a record number of schools and students joining us, and our wonderful partners supporting us again,” she says. There will also be more new teams stepping in to flag their support, like HMAS Waterhen and the SES.
The fundraising goal for the walk this year is $250,000. Money raised will go towards providing more hours of social worker care; safety planning and access to safe accommodation at the refuge and expanded support programs for women across various stages of their journey.
